Melting the Earth: The History of Ideas on Volcanic Eruptions

by Haraldur Sigurdsson

From prehistoric times to the fiery destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. and the more recent pyrotechnics of Mt. St. Helens, volcanic eruptions have aroused fear, inspired myths and religious worship, and prompted heated philosophical and scientific debate. Melting the Earth chronicles humankind's attempt to understand this terrifying phenomenon and provides a fascinating look at how our conception of volcanoes has changed as knowledge of the earth's internal processes has deepened over the centuries.
A practicing volcanologist and native of Iceland, where volcanoes are frequently active, Haraldur Sigurdsson considers how philosophers and scientists have attempted to answer the Why do volcanoes erupt? He takes us through the ideas of the ancient Greeks--who proposed that volcanoes resulted from the venting of subterranean winds--and the internal combustion theories of Roman times, and notes how thinking about volcanoes took a backward, symbolic turn with the rise of Christian conceptions of Hell, a direction that would not be reversed until the Renaissance. He chronicles the 18th-century conflict between the Neptunists, who believed that volcanic rocks originated from oceanic accretions, and the Plutonists, who argued for the existence of a molten planetary core, and traces how volcanology moved from "divine science" and "armchair geology" to empirical field study with the rise of 19th-century naturalism. Finally, Sigurdsson describes how 19th and 20th-century research
in thermodynamics, petrology, geochemistry and plate tectonics contribute to the current understanding of volcanic activity.
Drawing liberally from classical sources and firsthand accounts, this chronicle is not only a colorful history of volcanology, but an engrossing chapter in the development of scientific thought.

Genres: Geology, History

Hardcover

First published June 24, 1999

Reviews

[Kathryn Jacobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting look at the history of volcanoes and geology. The book falls off the rails once we reach the modern era though. There is so much to cover and the author seems to struggle to sum up the arguments in a coherent way. The book up until this point is chronological, but the explosion (lol) of ideas in the Enlightenment means that there is just too much to cover chronologically. Despite that, he clings to the idea and it weakens the clarity of the information. We are frequently bouncing back and forth in time. It would have been better to tackle the modern era in a series of distinct chapters on those topics.

Also it completely misses the mark when it comes to non-European views on volcanoes. It is very brief. Almost never touching on Japan or Polynesia. I don't know much about volcanology of the region but it seems odd to think that there is just not something to look into. Especially since the beginning of the book does a brief overview of the world's different well known volcanoes in regards to the myths associated with them.

It did give me a new appreciation of Pliny the Elder though.

[Bryanna Plog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially liked the first part about different cultures' stories and explanations about volcanoes. The latter part gets into the nitty gritty of the scientific debate among European scientists about geology which was important but less engaging.

[Erin Mcleod]

Fantastic

[Topher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the history of thought concerning the source of volcanism. I personally liked Mind over Magma a little better, but, this was short and significantly less dry.