Submitted by Robert Peckyno on Fri, 12/10/2010 - 07:41

The 3rd edition of the Smithsonian’s Volcanoes of the World will be available for distribution in January. This widely utilized (including lots of VW content!) scientific resource, by Lee Siebert, Tom Simkin, and Paul Kimberly, presents updated information on ten thousand years of volcanic activity on Earth. In the decade and a half since the previous edition was published new studies have refined assessments of the ages of many volcanoes, and several thousand new eruptions have been documented.

This edition updates the book’s key components: a directory of nearly 1550 volcanoes active during the Holocene with more than 50 regional maps; a chronology of more than 10,400 eruptions over the past ten thousand years; a gazetteer of volcano names, synonyms, and subsidiary features; an extensive list of more than 4800 references; and a 45-page introduction placing these data in context.

This book has utility for scientists and public officials with responsibility for natural hazards, researchers in many disciplines interested in a record of Earth’s recent volcanism, and all others interested in our planet’s volcanism. In addition to major expansion of the regional directory of volcanoes, chronologies of Holocene eruptions, and gazetteer of volcanic features highlighted in the 2nd edition, the 3rd edition includes for the first time:

  • Most common rock types for Holocene volcanoes
  • Chronological lists of large-volume explosive and effusive eruptions
  • Preliminary list of Pleistocene volcanoes
  • Preliminary list of large-volume Pleistocene explosive and effusive eruptions
  • 8 color plates illustrating volcano morphology and eruptive processes
  • 160 black-and-white images interspersed throughout the book
  • And More!

Visit the University of California Press (UCP) website for more information and to order a copy!