Volcanoes are capable of acts of pyrotechnical prowess verging on magic:
they spout black magma more fluid than water, create shimmering cities
of glass at the bottom of the ocean and frozen lakes of lava on the
moon, and can even tip entire planets over. Between lava that melts and
re-forms the landscape, and noxious volcanic gases that poison the
atmosphere, volcanoes have threatened life on Earth countless times in
our planet's history. Yet despite their reputation for destruction,
volcanoes are inseparable from the creation of our planet.
A lively and utterly fascinating guide to these geologic wonders, Super
Volcanoes revels in the incomparable power of volcanic eruptions past
and present, Earthbound and otherwise--and recounts the daring and
sometimes death-defying careers of the scientists who study them.
Science journalist and volcanologist Robin George Andrews explores how
these eruptions reveal secrets about the worlds to which they belong,
describing the stunning ways in which volcanoes can sculpt the sea,
land, and sky, and even influence the machinery that makes or breaks the
existence of life.
Walking us through the mechanics of some of the most infamous eruptions
on Earth, Andrews outlines what we know about how volcanoes form, erupt,
and evolve, as well as what scientists are still trying to puzzle out.
How can we better predict when a deadly eruption will occur--and protect
communities in the danger zone? Is Earth's system of plate tectonics,
unique in the solar system, the best way to forge a planet that supports
life? And if life can survive and even thrive in Earth's extreme
volcanic environments--superhot, superacidic, and supersaline
surroundings previously thought to be completely inhospitable--where
else in the universe might we find it?
Traveling from Hawai'i, Yellowstone, Tanzania, and the ocean floor to
the moon, Venus, and Mars, Andrews illuminates the cutting-edge
discoveries and lingering scientific mysteries surrounding these
phenomenal forces of nature.
