Eruptions that Shook the World

A spellbinding exploration of the history's greatest volcanic events and their impacts on the history of humankind.

Clive Oppenheimer (Author)

9780521641128, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 May 2011

406 pages, 100 b/w illus. 10 tables
23.5 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.78 kg

'[A] well-written book …' Environmental History

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.

Preface
1. Fire and brimstone: how volcanoes work
2. Eruption styles, hazards and ecosystem impacts
3. Volcanoes and global climate change
4. Forensic volcanology
5. Relics, myths and chronicles
6. Killer plumes
7. Human origins
8. The ash-giant/sulphur-dwarf
9. European volcanism in prehistory
10. The rise of Teotihuacán
11. Dark Ages: dark nature?
12. The Haze famine
13. The last great subsistence crisis in the western world
14. Volcanic catastrophe risk
Appendix A. Volcano trumps: notable eruptions of the past 10,000 years
Appendix B. Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: The environment [RN], Volcanology & seismology [RBC], Earth sciences [RB], Earth sciences, geography, environment, planning [R]