Clive OppenheimerCambridge University PressEdition: Illustrated, 5/26/2011EAN 9780521641128, ISBN10: 0521641128Hardcover, 406 pages, 23.6 x 16 x 2.5 cmLanguage: EnglishOriginally published in EnglishWhat 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.Preface1. Fire and brimstonehow volcanoes work2. Eruption styles, hazards and ecosystem impacts3. Volcanoes and global climate change4. Forensic volcanology5. Relics, myths and chronicles6. Killer plumes7. Human origins8. The ash-giant/sulphur-dwarf9. European volcanism in prehistory10. The rise of Teotihuacán11. Dark Agesdark nature?12. The Haze famine13. The last great subsistence crisis in the western world14. Volcanic catastrophe riskAppendix A. Volcano trumpsnotable eruptions of the past 10,000 yearsAppendix B. Further readingIndex.
