Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives
by Elizabeth Rusch
2020-04-26 00:49:11
Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives
by Elizabeth Rusch
2020-04-26 00:49:11
After more than a century of peaceful dormancy, the volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, South America, erupted. Blistering clouds of searing volcanic gases and ash flash-melted huge amounts of snow, launching a towering wall of hot mud toward the vi...
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After more than a century of peaceful dormancy, the volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, South America, erupted. Blistering clouds of searing volcanic gases and ash flash-melted huge amounts of snow, launching a towering wall of hot mud toward the village of Armero. People ran--but they couldn't outrun the onslaught, and 23,000 perished. More than a "billion" people--one out of every five people in the world--are threatened by volcanic eruptions like Nevado del Ruiz. Countless cities, towns, homes and schools all over the globe reside in the shadow of more than 1,500 potentially dangerous volcanoes - 160 in the United States alone. Given the constant danger, is there any way to prevent massive tragedies from volcanic eruptions? Do volcanoes give early warning signs? When will a volcano erupt and how violent will it be? Volcanologists Andy Lockhart and John Pallister want to know the answers those questions, and they're willing to risk their lives to find them. Andy and John lead a small group of scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey known as the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP). Join these scientists on the flanks of steaming, quaking, ash-spewing volcanoes all over the world--from Colombia and the Philippines to Chile and Indonesia--as they struggle to predict eruptions and prevent tragedies. This gripping addition to the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series brings you along with the volcanologists as they helicopter onto active volcanoes to install equipment, climb into blast zones to collect ash samples, and endure suspense as they wait to find out if their predictions are right...or wrong. Award-winning writer Elizabeth Rusch is your guide on a journey that features stunning color photography--and a riveting story of scientific heroes toiling in the danger zone of nature's sleeping giants to save lives.
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