Adventures in Volcanoland

April 8, 2024
Mather, an earth sciences professor at Oxford University, debuts with a prosaic deep dive into the science of volcanoes. Expounding on the molecular chemistry of molten rock, Mather explains that silicon and oxygen atoms in magma form larger structures than the “tidy molecular units of water,” giving “lava flows a strength and stickiness far greater” than water’s. She highlights the fearsome power of major historical eruptions, observing that the 1883 explosion of Krakatau “shattered eardrums on the British ship RMS Norham Castle just 60 kilometres from the volcano” and that the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius created pumice plumes that “turned day to night as if the gods were at work.” Personal anecdotes from Mather’s impressive career offer insight into how volcanologists conduct fieldwork, as when she recounts determining that the Pu‘u ‘О‘ō vent in Kīlauea, Hawaii, was at low risk of exploding in 2008 after sampling the chemical composition of its “volcanic smog.” Unfortunately, Mather alternates between matter-of-fact scientific discussions and labored descriptions of locales where she’s conducted fieldwork (she writes of the Aluto volcano in Ethiopia, “Over the volcano’s rim, the topography still feels rough-hewn, with the lobes of multiple previous eruptions building the rugged ramparts in a blocky geological pattern”), struggling to capture the excitement of her subject. Readers would be better off with Clive Oppenheimer’s Mountains of Fire.