Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions

by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, Donald Theodore Sanders, Robert D. Ballard (Foreword by)

Overview

"Most people seldom think about volcanoes or the role they have played in human history. Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders . . . examine the relationship between volcanoes and human history. . . . [Their] chilling examples show the profound impact volcanic eruptions have had upon humans. The incredible story has taken centuries to unfold and will surely continue to evolve."—Dr. Robert D. Ballard, President, Institute for Exploration, Mystic, Connecticut

"There is a growing awareness of the interplay between natural disasters and human societies, putting this book at the cutting edge of an important trend. It integrates science with societal issues in a way that is compelling and interesting. With its informative but nontechnical style, it should appeal to both scientists and nonspecialists."—Susan Hough, U.S. Geological Survey

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691118383
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/21/2004
Series:	Princeton Science Library
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jelle Zeilinga de Boer is the Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science at Wesleyan University. His publications include work on the geodynamic evolution of the Appalachians, Costa Rica, Greece, Panama, and the Philippines. Donald Theodore Sanders has worked as a petroleum geologist, a science editor for encyclopedias, and an editor of corporate scientific publications. Before retiring from IBM, he created and edited that company's award-winning academic magazine Perspectives in Computing. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders are also the coauthors of Earthquakes in Human History (Princeton).

Table of Contents

Foreword by Robert D. Ballard ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Table of Conversion xvii

Chapter 1: Volcanism: Origins and Consequences 1

SIDEBAR: DATING OF VOLCANIC EVENTS

Chapter 2: The Hawaiian Islands and the Legacy of Pelee the Fire Goddess 22

Chapter 3: The Bronze Age Eruption of Thera: Destroyer of Atlantis and Minoan Crete? 47

Chapter 4: The Eruption of Vesuvius in 79 C.E.: Cultural Reverberations through the Ages 74

Chapter 5: Iceland: Coming Apart at the Seams 108

Chapter 6: The Eruption of Tambora in 1815 and "the Year without a Summer" 138

SIDEBAR: MOUNT TOBA: BIGGER THAN TAMBORA

Chapter 7: Krakatu, 1883: Devastation, Death, and Ecologic Revival 157

SIDEBAR: THE GHOSTS OF MERAPI

Chapter 8: The 1902 Eruption of Mount Pelee: A Geological Catastrophe with Political Overtones 186

SIDEBAR: MOUNT PELEE AND THE PANAMA CANAL

Chapter 9: Tristan da Cunba in 1961: Exile to the Twentieth Century 209

Chapter 10: Mount St. Helens in 1980: Catastrophe in the Cascades 228

Afterword 250

Glossary 251

Notes and References 261

Selected Bibliography 279

Index 281

What People are Saying About This

Robert D. Ballard

Most people seldom think about volcanoes or the role they have played in human history. Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders . . . examine the relationship between volcanoes and human history. . . . [Their] chilling examples show the profound impact volcanic eruptions have had upon humans. The incredible story has taken centuries to unfold and will surely continue to evolve.
— Dr. Robert D. Ballard, President, Institute for Exploration, Mystic, Connecticut

From the Publisher

“Most people seldom think about volcanoes or the role they have played in human history. . . . [This book’s] chilling examples show the profound impact volcanic eruptions have had upon humans.”—Robert D. Ballard, coauthor of Into the Deep: A Memoir from the Man Who Found “Titanic”

“There is a growing awareness of the interplay between natural disasters and human societies, putting this book at the cutting edge of an important trend. It integrates science with societal issues in a way that is compelling and interesting. With its informative but nontechnical style, it should appeal to both scientists and nonspecialists.”—Susan Hough, author of The Great Quake Debate: The Crusader, the Skeptic, and the Rise of Modern Seismology

Susan Hough

There is a growing awareness of the interplay between natural disasters and human societies, putting this book at the cutting edge of an important trend. It integrates science with societal issues in a way that is compelling and interesting. With its informative but nontechnical style, it should appeal to both scientists and nonspecialists.
— Susan Hough, U.S. Geological Survey

Editorial Reviews

"In clear prose aimed to include general readers, the authors make the case for the social consequences set in motion by large volcanic eruptions as both wide-ranging and long-lived."

Choice

Does the world need another book about volcanic eruptions and the havoc they wreak? The answer, for this book, is an emphatic 'yes,' especially for the general reader. [B]esides being interesting to read, Volcanoes in Human History clearly demonstrates that volcanism, and geology as a whole, should not be of concern only to geologists and that history is important.

Isis - Sally Newcomb

Does the world need another book about volcanic eruptions and the havoc they wreak? The answer, for this book, is an emphatic 'yes,' especially for the general reader. [B]esides being interesting to read, Volcanoes in Human History clearly demonstrates that volcanism, and geology as a whole, should not be of concern only to geologists and that history is important.
— Sally Newcomb

Isis

A detailed and vivid account of the fiery relationship between the Earth and its surface dwellers.

The Guardian

In all, the authors present 11 volcanoes to explain what it means to live with volcanic hazards. It's easy to look back and say fewer people would have chosen to live in such risky places if they had know what was involved. But that's cold comfort. Our crowded planet now offers many at-risk populations little alternative - as in the case of Naples. We have to make the most of our scientific understanding to deal with hazards that people cannot avoid. We should love our life- sustaining planet, risks and all, for we certainly can't leave it. This book will help interested readers understand some of its foibles.
— Christian Science Monitor

Robert C. Cowen

"Does the world need another book about volcanic eruptions and the havoc they wreak? The answer, for this book, is an emphatic 'yes,' especially for the general reader. Besides being interesting to read, Volcanoes in Human History clearly demonstrates that volcanism, and geology as a whole, should not be of concern only to geologists and that history is important."—-Sally Newcomb, Isis

From the Publisher

"In clear prose aimed to include general readers, the authors make the case for the social consequences set in motion by large volcanic eruptions as both wide-ranging and long-lived."

Choice Reviews

"The authors have applied their geologic knowledge and experience, along with solid research, to produce an accessible book on volcanoes."

Library Journal