Volcano

by Donna O'Meara

Every year over 50 volcanoes erupt on the earth. Some have been active for years, and others have not stirred for centuries. Throughout history, mankind has been both fascinated and terrified by volcanic activity. Vesuvius, Krakatoa, and Mount St. Helens are indelibly etched into our consciousness with the immense destructive power they wrought, and the human life they have ended; yet many of us still make our homes on the fertile slopes of these majestic mountains. This book showcases the greatest eruptions in history along with the newest volcanic islands that erupt each year from the seabed; it also examines the properties of lava along with its lasting effects on the landscape. From evidence of volcanic activity on the moon to craters under the sea, this book encompasses it all, making it the ultimate testament to volcanoes.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2007

About the author

Donna O'Meara has been hunting and photographing the world's most dangerous volcanoes for almost 20 years. Many of her photographs have appeared in National Geographic.

Reviews

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous book. Wonderfully illustrative of the various types of volcanoes the world over.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful photographs with some informative text. A very good coffee table book

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually borrowed this book from the library because my son is so interested in volcanoes right now. At 3 years old he likes the pictures and short explanations more than anything else. This was such a great book that after returning it to the library I went a bought a copy of it to keep.

The book is broken down into a number of sections featuring lava lakes and flows, land formations caused by volcanoes, volcanoes on different planets, etc. I've been learning a lot about volcanoes lately because of my son's interest and this book had some interesting images in it that I had never seen or heard of before.

The book consists of wonderful pictures that are just stunning! Each picture has a short blurb associated with it that talks about where the land formation/volcano is located and gives a little history and information about it.

This is the perfect book for people of all ages. It has beautiful photographs that can be enjoyed by everyone, with some truly unique volcanic formations being shown. The little blurbs with each picture are written at an adult reading level but are short enough to hold a child's interest as well.

This is definitely more of a coffee table book than a reference book on Volcanoes. It doesn't talk as much about the "why volcanoes happen" as show you the where/when of current volcanic formations/activity. That being said there is a lot of good information on the different types of volcanic structures located throughout the world (and on other planets). It is a beautiful book, very high quality, I can't stress the beauty of the pictures enough.

This book has been an awesome addition to our home library and I highly recommend it to everyone...I don't care who you are this is one beautiful, captivating, and interesting book on volcanoes.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is one of my favorite non-fiction books. The amazing illustrations and informative paragraphs combine to create an impressive guide to volcanoes. I liked several things about this book. First, the illustrations were amazing. They capture all different types of volcanoes from impressive angles. Below each picture is a paragraph. It explains not only the picture, but volcanoes in general. Therefore, you can enjoy this book even if you don't know about volcanoes at all. I loved how this book covered all volcanoes and their byproducts in great detail, from the Yellowstone super volcano to pancake-shaped volcanoes on Venus. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys non-fiction books, or volcanoes, or both.

[Krysti · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING! The pictures were great and it gives a lot of interesting information about volcanoes!!!!!

[Lucinda Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book in the world!