Eruptions that shook the world / Clive Oppenheimer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oppenheimer, Clive, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Volcanism--Effect of environment on.

Volcanism--History.

Volcanology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 392 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What does it take for a volcanic eruption to really shake the world? Did volcanic eruptions extinguish the dinosaurs, or help humans to evolve, only to decimate their populations with a super-eruption 73,000 years ago? Did they contribute to the ebb and flow of ancient empires, the French Revolution and the rise of fascism in Europe in the 19th century? These are some of the claims made for volcanic cataclysm. Volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer explores rich geological, historical, archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records (such as ice cores and tree rings) to tell the stories behind some of the greatest volcanic events of the past quarter of a billion years. He shows how a forensic approach to volcanology reveals the richness and complexity behind cause and effect, and argues that important lessons for future catastrophe risk management can be drawn from understanding events that took place even at the dawn of human origins.

Contents:

Fire and Brimstone: How Volcanoes Work. Origins of volcanoes: the mantle ; Magma ; Eruption parameters

Eruption Styles, Hazards, and Ecosystem Impacts. Eruption clouds ; Tephra falls ; Pyroclastic currents & caldera formation ; Lava flows and domes ; Rock avalanches and mudflows ; Tsunami ; Earthquakes ; Volcanic gas emissions ; Recovery of ecosystems ; Volcanic disasters

Volcanoes and Global Climate Change. Pinatubo's global cloud ; Atmospheric and climatic change ; Recipe for a climate-forcing eruption

Forensic Volcanology. Reading the rocks ; Ice cores ; Tree rings

Relics, Myths, and Chronicles. Archaeological perspectives ; Oral traditions ; Crepuscular lights, cannonades, and chronicles ; Volcano forensics: a case study

Killer Plumes. Mass extinctions ; More about LIPs ; LIP origins ; LIPs, bolides, and extinctions: the coincidences ; Kill mechanisms ; Hot LIPs and cold SLIPs

Human Origins. The East African Rift Valley ; The first humans ; The Middle Stone Age and modern humans

The Ash-Giant/Sulphur-Dwarf. The eruption ; Sulphur yield of the eruption ; Climate change ; The human story ; Focus on India

European Volcanism in Prehistory. The Campanian eruption and the human revolution in Palaeolithic Europe ; 'Cultural devolution' and the Laacher See eruption ; Eruption of Santorini and the decline of the Minoan civilisation

The Rise of Teotihuacán. Popocatépetl ; The Ilopango eruption

Dark Ages: Dark Nature? The mystery cloud of 536 CE ; Veils and whips

The Haze Famine. The eruption ; Gas emissions and aerosol veil ; Weather and climate ; The haze famine ; Long reach of the eruption

The Last Great Subsistence Crisis in the Western World. Sumbawa before the disaster ; The eruption ; Atmospheric and climate impacts ; Human tragedy ; Global reach of the eruption

Volcanic Catastrophe Risk. Three catastrophe scenarios ; Risk control ; Global warming: fake volcanoes and real eruptions ; Shaken but not stirred

Large Eruptions. The twenty-five largest documented Holocene eruptions.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613295422

9781139109581

1139109588

9781139123938

1139123939

9781107216303

1107216303

9781283295420

1283295423

9781139121859

1139121855

9781139116114

1139116118

9781139126779

1139126776

9781139111751

1139111752

9781139113946

1139113941

9780511978012

0511978014

OCLC:

769341820

Publisher Number:

2027/heb31096 hdl