Eruptions that Shook the World

The information is vast and in a lot of ways concerning (the earth is a dangerous place). The way the information is presented makes it approachable while respecting your time.

I purchased the Kindle version. I skimmed and read several parts of it and then returned it — but only because it’s not what I was looking for.I never feel it’s fair to downrate a book just because the author didn’t write the book I expected, and I actually endorse most of the highly positive reviews for this book. It is very readable for a textbook, and provides a lot of interesting information about exactly how volcanoes work (as best we know). For instance, he goes into quite a bit more detail than anything else I’ve read so far (and I love geology) about how magma changes underground, how volatile components like water and gases interact with liquid magma, and how this process can trigger an eruption. Also for instance, I knew that when magma melts, the minerals with the lowest melting point melt first, but it had not previously dawned on me that this means when magma crystallizes, the minerals with the *highest* melting point crystallize first. (Common sense, but no one had ever pointed it out!)A big part of the book is on how volcanoes of various types affect climate, economics, and history, and what this means for our potential future. Many of the issues are complex, and there’s considerable debate on many of them, but Dr. Oppenheimer goes into detail on historical case studies, explains all sides clearly, and tells you what he thinks is most important. I was impressed. (I have an advanced degree in biological sciences, by the way, but I’ve studied a fair amount of geology along the way.)I was actually looking for a comprehensive tour of all the great volcanoes of history, so this book didn’t meet my needs. The information on how volcanoes work and how they can affect the world was excellent, but if anyone is familiar with the basics and wants a travelogue, this isn’t it.I took a star off my rating because there were parts of the Kindle edition that were seriously annoying. (Again these aren’t the fault of the author.) First, the photos in this book were TERRIBLE and well below the standard of current technology. They were tiny (a couple of inches wide), fuzzy, and all black and white. It was very hard to see what they were supposed to show. I certainly hope the photos in the printed edition were much better. Second, for some reason, the photo captions were in text identical in size and font to the book text — making them hard to differentiate — but any mathematical or other equations were in type so extremely tiny that they were nearly invisible. Literally all I could see was a thin, bumpy line of gray. These are both problems with the Kindle formatting, and whoever made them come out this way should be made to do them over and do it right.

It is a great resource book. However, Oppenheimer uses an Eruption Magnitude Scale as opposed to the Volcanic Explosivity Index, which I have gotten used to. So for me, I end up referring to other sources every time he uses it. There is a lot of information and breaks down everything. Just don't expect an easy read. I was very happy with my purchase, because it is chock full of information.

A very interesting and informative book, particularly in view of the current controversy surrounding "Global Warming" and/or "Climate Change". Some of the things the author points out that impressed me are some of the things we know, and some of the things that we do not know. The latter are not trivial matters and seem to be ignored in our present headlong rush to "fix" the atmosphere. My opinion following reading this book is that we had better proceed with caution while we continue to research and better understand the problem. For example: A major eruption or meteorite, meaning one that would make St. Helens look like a firecracker could blacken the sky worldwide for weeks, months....or longer. Temperatures would rop drastically, probably along with wind velocities and other equally unpleasant surprises. No wind turbines, no photovoltic power, no light, no heat... then what? We "humans" have been around for some 40,000 or so years and we think in terms of a human lifetime. However on a geologic time scale 40,000 years is insignificant. We need to be looking at a larger picture.

This book is pretty technical. It's written at the level of a college freshman geology text, but without the formulas. The good is that there is a LOT of information, very interesting information. But if you're wanting light reading it may not be good for you. Personally, I really enjoyed it. The way I enjoyed it was to skip a few parts, especially the ones covering the details of ancient civilizations. Although the author is clearly interested in this historical detail, I thought it had little to do with volcanology.I would recommend this book to someone who wants to learn more than what an overview would provide. Perfect for the amateur or arm chair geologist, but again, it's not light reading. However, you feel like you definitely know more when you get to the end.

Great book to read If you want to know about some volcanic eruptions in human history and the impact they had on life. Does a good job of linking volcanic eruptions with the corresponding damage done (like fluorine poisoning of livestock leading to starvation from halogen gases released during the eruption). A must read if you live near volcanoes or want to get an idea of some of the things they can do.

This handy-dandy, easy-to-read volcanology overview is an informative historical synopsis of eruptions that have impacted Humanity over the past several thousand years. That title says it all; I highly recommend it for anyone with a historical geology interest.

The author is an awsome authority of international connections as to what volcanoes do to the earth and how life is influenced by them. The story is well researched and referenced. It is a wonder how life continues on this restless earth and the atmoshere above it. It is reassuring that geologists internationally are collaborating with historians to understand nature. We are given some idea how fragile surival is and how we still have hope to survive. The reader can be lifted into an exciting realm of scientific research, mixed with other disciplines on a scholarly level.

This is a superb book written for the serious volcanophile or person who is interested on the impact of volcanoes on human life.

A superb book for appreciating the destruction and scale of a variety of volcanoes. Informative and gripping at the same time. A must for anyone interested in volcanoes.

A good account of the science behind volcanology. Especially the identification of eruptions in the archaeological record.

An intelligent, thought provoking book. This is not for the reader wanting sensational "disaster stories" but it is for the reader wanting the scientific background to the various eruptions.

This, as expected, is a brilliant book, fascinating, academic, well-argued and referenced and above all interesting, well written and useful. I strongly recomment this book if you are studying or have an interest in volcanoes, their impacts and hazards as well as their history.