Volcanoes

by Robert W. Decker, Barbara Decker

In Volcanoes, Robert Decker and Barbara Decker provide a brief introduction to volcanology, the study of volcanoes, with the drama due such awesome phenomena. Dynamic prose and photographs and drawings enliven their discussion of the science behind the natural disaster.
For the new edition, the authors have rigorously updated their material, adding new findings, a listing of Web sites carrying breaking news of volcanic activity around the world, and 50 new images. The third edition also contains descriptions of the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo Volcano, the eruptions near the city of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea in 1994, and an account of the devastating 1883 eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia written by the captain of a passing ship.

Genres: Science, Geology, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[David Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the visitor center bookstore when visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park but never got around to reading it. Now, years later, I'm very glad I bought the book. Alternately, this book could be titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Volcanoes. It is thorough, comprehensive, extremely "readable," and very engaging. It is also heavily illustrated with maps, drawing, and photographs, some of which are color plates, which helps to make the concepts easier to understand. I have three minor quibbles with the book. First, the authors sometimes get ahead of themselves; they present concepts in one chapter, and then elaborate on the concepts in the next. As a result, when I was read a chapter I was left wondering about details, only to begin the next chapter and say to myself, "Aha! So that's what they were talking about." Second, the captions of some of the figures and maps does not match the language used in the body of the text all the time, so occasionally I was left wondering about how something illustrated related exactly to the description in the text. Third, the book is very serious and straightforward during the first half, but then becomes a bit more relaxed and casual toward the end as if the authors were finally "letting go" a bit. These quibbles do not materially distract from what otherwise is an excellent book.

[Yi An · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great illustration of volcanology.

[Erik Fjeldsted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volcanoes gave a basic overview of vulcanology (which is the coolest name for a field of study). It was at its best when it gave anecdotal examples of different eruptions in recent (geologic) history.

It did drag on when it started to talk about so many cubic kilometers of ash or pyroclastic material. Yes, that information could be useful but it seemed to detract at times from the point it was trying to make.

I wouldn't tell anyone to read this unless they were going on vacation to Hawaii to see volcanoes and really wanted know what was going on beneath their feet.

[Mike Mullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introductory text with well-written, clear overviews of most topics associated with volcanoes. Chapter 12 was of particular interest to me, as it focuses on Yellowstone. The editing could have been better--there were a couple significant errors (substituting 1969 for 1959 in one place and 13,000 for 1.3 million in another). The photos, illustrations and graphs supplement the text nicely. I'd recommend it if you want an academic but not ponderous overview of the topic.