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Volcano Cowboys: The Rocky Evolution of a Dangerous Science
Volcanoes have destroyed and killed throughout history, but we have never known much about them. Now a group of brave scientists are working to understand the actual conditions that cause eruptions, how to predict them, and what we can do, if anything, to temper their destructiveness. Thompson, a Time magazine correspondent, takes us from the May 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington state through new concentrated efforts to construct a wider-reaching and more rigid discipline.
Thompson spent many hours with the relative handful of scientists whom he calls "volcano cowboys." They have loaned him their field notes and shared personal stories. That vivid material combined with Thompson's ability to bring a good story to life has resulted in a book that celebrates these "cowboys," their hazardous lives, and the often harrowing decisions they must make.
Thompson spent many hours with the relative handful of scientists whom he calls "volcano cowboys." They have loaned him their field notes and shared personal stories. That vivid material combined with Thompson's ability to bring a good story to life has resulted in a book that celebrates these "cowboys," their hazardous lives, and the often harrowing decisions they must make.
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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July 28, 2012
Volcanology consists primarily of observation. Description is not unusual in any science (astronomy is another example) but it is usually the first step in the scientific process. Following observations, hypotheses are then tested through repeated experiments. Volcanoes don’t lend themselves to such experimentation and they are usually located in remote, often inaccessible locations and the environment tends to be hostile to say the least.
Thomson, science writer for Time Magazine, has explored how the explosion at Mt. St. Helens affected the science of volcanology and vividly describes the assorted personalities that go into this dangerous field. Most volcanologists before St. Helens literally blew its top had studied the flows in Hawaii, but they were to discover that what they learned there bore little relationship to what they needed to know in order to predict when a mountain might explode. Snow-covered volcanoes like St. Helens contain water and as the water becomes heated its temperature rises beyond the boiling point to become steam. The rocks and structure of the mountain contain the steam, but eventually the pressure builds, occasionally cracking open a rock and spewing forth steam with a roar not unlike a jet engine’s. At St. Helens, instruments measured an extraordinary change in the landscape. A dome was actually increasing in size on top of the mountain; it was bulging as much as three inches per day. St. Helens had been quite thoroughly studied ,and believing that the past holds the key to the future, the volcanologists, trying to compress a process that normally would take place over years, i.e., testing ideas and theories, into a matter of days and short weeks, assumed that Helens, if, and when it blew, would follow previous patterns. Unfortunately, they were fooled, and the enormous debris avalanche caused the mountain to explode sideways instead of off the top. Of the fifty-seven deaths that occurred, only two were inside the predicted danger zone.
The lessons learned at St. Helens were quite valuable for the future of volcanic eruption prediction. The difficulty in dealing with the social impact was another, less malleable, lesson. Geologists were forced into making decisions that could have enormously disruptive influences on people’s lives, not to mention causing huge financial losses. The imprecision of science and the fear of false alarms contrasted with the natural false security, and the “lack of will to act in the face of uncertainty” was illustrated in the eruption and terrible mudslides of Nevada del Ruiz in Columbia. (The potential for an immensely costly eruption in terms of both loss of life and property damage from Mt. Rainier near Seattle is frightening.)
Many of the lessons learned from explorations of volcanoes following St. Helens were applied successfully in the Philippines when geologists were able to warn of the impending eruption of Mt. Pinatubo quite accurately. Thompson’s narration of the events leading up to that explosive eruption – immensely more powerful than St. Helens – makes for riveting reading; it kept me up half the night. The eruption staggered the imagination. Air Force officers who had been evacuated from Clark Air Force Base watched in awe as the ash column from Pinatubo hit forty thousand feet in thirty seconds and was still climbing. The column eventually reached twenty-two miles up and three hundred miles across. Because of the warning signals learned at St. Helens, the volcanologists were able to predict with some accuracy when the major eruption would occur, and many lives were saved by timely evacuations. By the way, you just don’t want to know what volcanic ash does to a 747 engine flying near it. Considering that most of Southeast Asia is sitting on live volcanoes and that Mt. Rainier is due for another eruption, this books makes timely reading. Be prepared to be riveted to your seat.
Thomson, science writer for Time Magazine, has explored how the explosion at Mt. St. Helens affected the science of volcanology and vividly describes the assorted personalities that go into this dangerous field. Most volcanologists before St. Helens literally blew its top had studied the flows in Hawaii, but they were to discover that what they learned there bore little relationship to what they needed to know in order to predict when a mountain might explode. Snow-covered volcanoes like St. Helens contain water and as the water becomes heated its temperature rises beyond the boiling point to become steam. The rocks and structure of the mountain contain the steam, but eventually the pressure builds, occasionally cracking open a rock and spewing forth steam with a roar not unlike a jet engine’s. At St. Helens, instruments measured an extraordinary change in the landscape. A dome was actually increasing in size on top of the mountain; it was bulging as much as three inches per day. St. Helens had been quite thoroughly studied ,and believing that the past holds the key to the future, the volcanologists, trying to compress a process that normally would take place over years, i.e., testing ideas and theories, into a matter of days and short weeks, assumed that Helens, if, and when it blew, would follow previous patterns. Unfortunately, they were fooled, and the enormous debris avalanche caused the mountain to explode sideways instead of off the top. Of the fifty-seven deaths that occurred, only two were inside the predicted danger zone.
The lessons learned at St. Helens were quite valuable for the future of volcanic eruption prediction. The difficulty in dealing with the social impact was another, less malleable, lesson. Geologists were forced into making decisions that could have enormously disruptive influences on people’s lives, not to mention causing huge financial losses. The imprecision of science and the fear of false alarms contrasted with the natural false security, and the “lack of will to act in the face of uncertainty” was illustrated in the eruption and terrible mudslides of Nevada del Ruiz in Columbia. (The potential for an immensely costly eruption in terms of both loss of life and property damage from Mt. Rainier near Seattle is frightening.)
Many of the lessons learned from explorations of volcanoes following St. Helens were applied successfully in the Philippines when geologists were able to warn of the impending eruption of Mt. Pinatubo quite accurately. Thompson’s narration of the events leading up to that explosive eruption – immensely more powerful than St. Helens – makes for riveting reading; it kept me up half the night. The eruption staggered the imagination. Air Force officers who had been evacuated from Clark Air Force Base watched in awe as the ash column from Pinatubo hit forty thousand feet in thirty seconds and was still climbing. The column eventually reached twenty-two miles up and three hundred miles across. Because of the warning signals learned at St. Helens, the volcanologists were able to predict with some accuracy when the major eruption would occur, and many lives were saved by timely evacuations. By the way, you just don’t want to know what volcanic ash does to a 747 engine flying near it. Considering that most of Southeast Asia is sitting on live volcanoes and that Mt. Rainier is due for another eruption, this books makes timely reading. Be prepared to be riveted to your seat.
May 24, 2016
Dayum. This is history-of-geology-as-a-discipline crack. There is a strange exaltation in reading about really famous events in my discipline in great detail and learning about the personalities involved. Johnston's famous last words as the lateral blast overran him I've known for twenty years. Now I have a personal history and a political situation and an awful, awful sequence of circumstances that put HIM in death's way.
About half the book is about Mt. St. Helens, there are some bridging chapters, and then there is an almost as thorough and far more intriguing (to me, based on how little I knew about it beforehand) rundown of the Pinatubo eruption. I knew NONE of that story and it is amazing.
About half the book is about Mt. St. Helens, there are some bridging chapters, and then there is an almost as thorough and far more intriguing (to me, based on how little I knew about it beforehand) rundown of the Pinatubo eruption. I knew NONE of that story and it is amazing.
October 10, 2010
I really liked this book. It deals with the science of volcanolgy as it changed so drastically with Mount St. Helens. There was a lot of build up to the explosion, giving background on both the volcano and the USGS and volcano specialist. I actually liked the second part of the book better than the first, as it dealt more with how they changed their approach to react to erupting volcanoes around the world. It was interesting to watch as computers came into play, and the increased knowledge that came with the ability to gather and process information, and eventually, make predictions about eruptions that saved lives.
As is the case with most non-fiction books, there are parts where the necessary background must be explained and worked through. Yes, I did skim a bit, but for the most part, everything had a reason to be in the book. I just wish it had been written this year. I want to know where they are today, not just 10 yeas ago. With the ability for people like me to watch eruptions and earthquakes in almost real time on the internet, or see satellite pictures of eruptions the next day, I want to know how much more they know about the process. I guess I am just that kind of nerd.
As is the case with most non-fiction books, there are parts where the necessary background must be explained and worked through. Yes, I did skim a bit, but for the most part, everything had a reason to be in the book. I just wish it had been written this year. I want to know where they are today, not just 10 yeas ago. With the ability for people like me to watch eruptions and earthquakes in almost real time on the internet, or see satellite pictures of eruptions the next day, I want to know how much more they know about the process. I guess I am just that kind of nerd.
June 6, 2020
This is probably the 10th time I've read this -- I use it for a class. It tells the story of the USGS volcano hazards program from the 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. Thompson does a good job of explaining the science, but more so the tension between scientists who can only provide uncertain forecasts and the public and decision makers who want definitive answers. To my knowledge it is quite accurate, although he does build up the conflict between the HVO and Denver groups somewhat as a literary device.
December 28, 2022
Wow! I should have been a geologist!!
This book was fantastic! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but this one had me really enamored. This is a work of nonfiction telling the real life stories of the eruptions of Mount Saint Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991. During the period of time in between there were studies being done on volcanoes in California and Alaska.
The book explains the fascinating beasts that are volcanoes, how they form, what happens when they erupt, and the incredibly complicated processes involved in studying them. We are able to read about how volcanology has evolved from the year 79 when Pliny the Younger observed amount Vesuvius to 1883 when Krakatau erupted and into 1902 when Mount Pele blew. All three of those volcanoes caused massive tidal waves, total darkness, and killed thousands of people.
The US Geological Survey spent decades studying slow moving active volcanoes in Hawaii but there was no comparison for what these scientists would experience when St. Helens began erupting in 1980.
I learned all about lahars and lava, phreatic eruptions and pyroclastic flows, geodomiteters and tiltmeters, and the unbelievable power in eruptions.
Scientists like Don Swanson, Jim Moore, Pete Lipman worked tirelessly for months observing Mount St. Helens, recording data, and coming to conclusions to help better be able to predict when a volcano may erupt. I was fascinated by the story of Dave Johnston from Oak Lawn, Illinois who was buried alive in the St. Helens eruption. I mourned his loss, and I was annoyed to learn that ignoring the warnings, some adventure seekers were steamed to death and other stubborn vacationers were buried under 20+ feet of mudflows.
I had no idea that volcanic eruptions are preceded by significant earthquake activity, and that they are accompanied with violent lightening storms and followed by tsunamis and typhoons. Their blasts go upward for MILES and the lateral blasts travel at 600 miles per hour. Explosions can last for hours.
I felt bad for an oddball scientist named Harry Glicken who was brilliant, but awkward and never got into the professional position he desired.
As scientists diligently studied volcanic activity in Mammoth Lakes, CA they were careful to look for details and share only accurate information so as to inform the public but not scare them. Unfortunately news reporters like George Alexander got a hold of tidbits of information, blasted enormously exaggerated reports over the media, scared the crap out of the locals and absolutely devastated the local economy with fear as the real estate market and tourist industry was completely wiped out from his false reports. (I guess some things never change!)
As the book progresses we learn how scientists like Rick Hoblitt, Barry Voight, and Norm Banks are able to develop an appropriate crisis response team since people have a lack of will to act in the face of uncertainty. Husband and wife team Maurice and Katia Kraft, French filmmakers, worked to capture eruptions on film in order to educate people on just how dangerous volcanoes can be.
When the Redoubt volcano system in Alaska erupts, ash traveled all the way down through the US and Mexico, even clogging the engine of a 727 in El Paso, TX! Wow! Eruptions can have a LONG reach.
In the final part of the book we see how many of these same scientists are learning from their experience and able to make better predictions about Mount Pinatubo which effectively saved thousands of lives.
While the book is educational and informative, it is also entertaining. There is some colorful language throughout the story, but that made me feel like I was sitting around a campfire with wise old men listening to their war stories.
I loved that this book talked about events that happened in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I was a student during that time period and while I have HEARD of these volcanoes, I had NO IDEA there was so much to know about them. Science was always my favorite subject and so I am disappointed to know that these awesome life changing events were reduced to a single sentence or two followed by making the typical baking soda and vinegar model that we all make in our elementary school days. Had I read this book at an earlier point in my life I would have had a much deeper interest in geology and volcanology.
Since reading this book, I also watched a documentary on Netflix about a Volcano that erupted in New Zealand just a few years ago. The documentary interviews surviving tourists who were present during the eruption. Wow. I can’t believe something like that happened just a couple years ago and we didn’t hear anything about it! I have to say that this book really made an impression on me. I feel like I have a deeper understanding about so many other things regarding this planet that we live on.
This book was fantastic! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but this one had me really enamored. This is a work of nonfiction telling the real life stories of the eruptions of Mount Saint Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991. During the period of time in between there were studies being done on volcanoes in California and Alaska.
The book explains the fascinating beasts that are volcanoes, how they form, what happens when they erupt, and the incredibly complicated processes involved in studying them. We are able to read about how volcanology has evolved from the year 79 when Pliny the Younger observed amount Vesuvius to 1883 when Krakatau erupted and into 1902 when Mount Pele blew. All three of those volcanoes caused massive tidal waves, total darkness, and killed thousands of people.
The US Geological Survey spent decades studying slow moving active volcanoes in Hawaii but there was no comparison for what these scientists would experience when St. Helens began erupting in 1980.
I learned all about lahars and lava, phreatic eruptions and pyroclastic flows, geodomiteters and tiltmeters, and the unbelievable power in eruptions.
Scientists like Don Swanson, Jim Moore, Pete Lipman worked tirelessly for months observing Mount St. Helens, recording data, and coming to conclusions to help better be able to predict when a volcano may erupt. I was fascinated by the story of Dave Johnston from Oak Lawn, Illinois who was buried alive in the St. Helens eruption. I mourned his loss, and I was annoyed to learn that ignoring the warnings, some adventure seekers were steamed to death and other stubborn vacationers were buried under 20+ feet of mudflows.
I had no idea that volcanic eruptions are preceded by significant earthquake activity, and that they are accompanied with violent lightening storms and followed by tsunamis and typhoons. Their blasts go upward for MILES and the lateral blasts travel at 600 miles per hour. Explosions can last for hours.
I felt bad for an oddball scientist named Harry Glicken who was brilliant, but awkward and never got into the professional position he desired.
As scientists diligently studied volcanic activity in Mammoth Lakes, CA they were careful to look for details and share only accurate information so as to inform the public but not scare them. Unfortunately news reporters like George Alexander got a hold of tidbits of information, blasted enormously exaggerated reports over the media, scared the crap out of the locals and absolutely devastated the local economy with fear as the real estate market and tourist industry was completely wiped out from his false reports. (I guess some things never change!)
As the book progresses we learn how scientists like Rick Hoblitt, Barry Voight, and Norm Banks are able to develop an appropriate crisis response team since people have a lack of will to act in the face of uncertainty. Husband and wife team Maurice and Katia Kraft, French filmmakers, worked to capture eruptions on film in order to educate people on just how dangerous volcanoes can be.
When the Redoubt volcano system in Alaska erupts, ash traveled all the way down through the US and Mexico, even clogging the engine of a 727 in El Paso, TX! Wow! Eruptions can have a LONG reach.
In the final part of the book we see how many of these same scientists are learning from their experience and able to make better predictions about Mount Pinatubo which effectively saved thousands of lives.
While the book is educational and informative, it is also entertaining. There is some colorful language throughout the story, but that made me feel like I was sitting around a campfire with wise old men listening to their war stories.
I loved that this book talked about events that happened in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I was a student during that time period and while I have HEARD of these volcanoes, I had NO IDEA there was so much to know about them. Science was always my favorite subject and so I am disappointed to know that these awesome life changing events were reduced to a single sentence or two followed by making the typical baking soda and vinegar model that we all make in our elementary school days. Had I read this book at an earlier point in my life I would have had a much deeper interest in geology and volcanology.
Since reading this book, I also watched a documentary on Netflix about a Volcano that erupted in New Zealand just a few years ago. The documentary interviews surviving tourists who were present during the eruption. Wow. I can’t believe something like that happened just a couple years ago and we didn’t hear anything about it! I have to say that this book really made an impression on me. I feel like I have a deeper understanding about so many other things regarding this planet that we live on.
April 2, 2008
I quite disliked this book in the beginning. Geology? Rocks are boring. Give me some biology or chemistry, instead. I read three quarters of the book and tossed it aside to mellow for a week. Also, I became convinced, upon reading the journalistic, cliffhanger-filled, dramatic story of the St. Helens 1980 eruptions(s) and the build up to the Pinatubo 1991 eruptions(s) that I am in immediate and extreme danger of being killed by a volcanic eruption. (NB--I live in Rhode Island. Volcanoes? Not so many in RI.) I returned to Volcano Cowboys in the middle of the VDAP preparations/negotiations re: Mount Pinatubo. Luckily, things ended well, with lots of lives and property saved. In consequence, I decided that perhaps rocks, espcially volcanic ones, are not so boring after all.
October 22, 2007
ok, volcanos... hmmm... you'd be surprised... it's quite gripping! Its the story about the guys who studied Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Pinotubo when they blew their tops! really cool, actually!
January 19, 2009
My husband is entranced by volcanoes and earthquakes, so I often buy him books on the subject. This one I think he read. It also works as a travel book.
August 25, 2018
This super interesting book has almost 300 pages of information. Tons of facts for those who are interested and/or can understand the science behind volcanology. For others the book will provide equally fascinating anecdotes by and about these “volcano cowboys”. The text covers events beginning just prior to the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and relates that occurance in great detail then goes on to follow some of the key actors as they travel the world to observe other eruptions – Mammoth Lakes, Armero, Columbia, Redoubt, Alaska, Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines, and Bezymianny.
Some of the more interesting of these anecdotes include the team roasting a pig in hot volcanic debris (p. 137), Hoblitt plucking a packet of jelly from an MRE, holding it up and saying to the team “put jelly in your pocket, because if we have a worst-case eruption we’re toast.” (p. 278), at one point, watching dramatic action at Clark AFB, one of the scientists grabs a bag of popcorn, starts eating and explains…”I always eat popcorn at this part of the movie.” (p. 287)
The book includes End Notes, Glossary, Index, and some photos.
Some of the more interesting of these anecdotes include the team roasting a pig in hot volcanic debris (p. 137), Hoblitt plucking a packet of jelly from an MRE, holding it up and saying to the team “put jelly in your pocket, because if we have a worst-case eruption we’re toast.” (p. 278), at one point, watching dramatic action at Clark AFB, one of the scientists grabs a bag of popcorn, starts eating and explains…”I always eat popcorn at this part of the movie.” (p. 287)
The book includes End Notes, Glossary, Index, and some photos.
August 19, 2023
An interesting, up-close peek at the world of volcanology and the scientists (mostly men) who practice it. The book starts off fairly slow with some background information about ancient volcanoes like Krakatoa and Vesuvius. Krakatoa's eruption in 1883 was said to have been the loudest sound ever heard; it could be heard around the world. The first 100 pages or so of this book are fairly dry otherwise, until you reach actual eruptions, that's where the good stuff happens. The author starts off with Mount St. Helens' eruption around 1980 and the volcanologists who were there, including one who died, and all of the things that they learned from that eruption. There are other eruptions covered in this book, too, including one in Russia, and another in the Philippines. I liked this book but the first 1/3 of this book was rather tedious. So I am giving this book three stars.
June 1, 2024
4.5/5. A great read on the changing science of volcanology.
I would have liked more/colour photos.
I would have liked a list of further reading.
My suggested further reading is:
Sangay survived: The story of the Ecuador volcano disaster
Surviving Galeras
I would have liked more/colour photos.
I would have liked a list of further reading.
My suggested further reading is:
Sangay survived: The story of the Ecuador volcano disaster
Surviving Galeras
September 8, 2019
As someone who is already interested in volcanoes, this was a great book talking about how scientists and the non-science world study and react to volcanoes. It mostly focuses on Mt. St. Helens' 1980 eruption and Mt. Pinatubo's 1991 eruption. Great insight into these events and natural disaster communication. So many characters made it sometimes scattered but recommended to anyone interested in science, communication, or natural disasters.
October 30, 2019
If you want to read a great scientific thriller, learn about the science behind studying volcanoes and learn about the week to week, day to day and hour to hour story of the eruption Mt. St Helen's and Pinatubo in the Philippines this is the book. Great read.
Pliny the Younger observed the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and described the towering column of ash and gas which is now called a Plinean column.
In 1883 Krakatau in Indonesia one of the scientist monitored the earth quakes by biting a brass bed.
Pyroclastic flows: a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that moves away from a volcano at 60 to 450 mph. At the higher speeds it makes no sound.
Lahars are mud flows down the sides of a volcano often the result of melting ice from mountain snows and glaciers.
The ash from volcanos are like powdered cement, basically rock dust.
The most generous remark a geologist can make to another is "He/she is a great observer"
Pliny the Younger observed the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and described the towering column of ash and gas which is now called a Plinean column.
In 1883 Krakatau in Indonesia one of the scientist monitored the earth quakes by biting a brass bed.
Pyroclastic flows: a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that moves away from a volcano at 60 to 450 mph. At the higher speeds it makes no sound.
Lahars are mud flows down the sides of a volcano often the result of melting ice from mountain snows and glaciers.
The ash from volcanos are like powdered cement, basically rock dust.
The most generous remark a geologist can make to another is "He/she is a great observer"
September 5, 2019
Absolutely loved this book! Really, really enjoyed it.
Learned so much more about Mt St Helens and Mt Pinatubo.
And the amount of difficulties faced by geologists, especially in just getting people to listen to them and accept dangers.
Learned so much more about Mt St Helens and Mt Pinatubo.
And the amount of difficulties faced by geologists, especially in just getting people to listen to them and accept dangers.
August 13, 2020
Wow! There is certainly a lot to take into account for judging when a volcano will erupt. When they do, it is astonishing what can happen & it seems they are all different. You have to admire the people who try to predict the volcano - they are true heroes.
October 27, 2017
This is a great book! It would have been a 5 star except for the slow start but if you get 30% in you won't want to stop. Very informative and riveting at the end!
January 23, 2020
acutally 6/5 stars! Brilliant!!
November 10, 2015
I love this book. I first read it back in 2000 when I was working a third-shift job, and I devoured it in less than a half-shift. I've owned three different copies because I keep giving it away, and since NaNoWriMo isn't working for me right now, I decided to get back to the reviews. I can't think of a book I'd rather share.
Volcano Cowboys tells the story of the volcanologists who worked on Mt. St. Helens, Long Valley, Armero, and how all of that came together for the lifesaving that happened at Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. It talks to the people who were there and tells their stories. The first chapter tells about Rick Hoblitt, one of the members of the USGS who worked on St. Helens before the 1980 eruption, and how he lived on the slopes during the summer field season. It beautifully draws images of the Floating Island and Goat Rocks locations, and then tells you that they no longer exist. The lateral blast utterly destroyed them.
We get to know David Johnston and Harry Glicken, and we get to know Dan Swanson and Rocky Crandall and Donal Mullineaux and so many others. We become friends with Dave Harlow and Rick Hoblitt. We find out about Barry Voigt and his landslide genius, and we look at the terrible pressures under which these people operated. And we know not all of them are alive today, and why, and what went differently.
From there we go to Long Valley and discover what happens when volcanologists get it wrong and things go back to sleep, and Armero and the terrible tragedy of lack of preparation. All of this builds up to the chapters that absolutely must be read: the complete story of Clark Air Force Base and Angeles City in the Philippines, and why that eruption did not kill many thousands more.
At one point in these latter chapters, Thompson switches abruptly from past to present tense. It should be jarring. It isn't. It took me till my third read to notice, that's how absorbed I was. I'm sure you'll be aware far sooner, since I bring it up, but I hope you'l agree that Thompson's choice is absolutely appropriate.
It shouldn't make me happy on some levels. People did die and suffer, and their stories are sad and moving. But it does make me happy, because this book is the story of how we learned, how we looked at evidence, how the scientific method works, and how smart people working together made something work. I feel much better for having read this book.
Five of five stars, and I wish I could give it six. Please do read this.
Volcano Cowboys tells the story of the volcanologists who worked on Mt. St. Helens, Long Valley, Armero, and how all of that came together for the lifesaving that happened at Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. It talks to the people who were there and tells their stories. The first chapter tells about Rick Hoblitt, one of the members of the USGS who worked on St. Helens before the 1980 eruption, and how he lived on the slopes during the summer field season. It beautifully draws images of the Floating Island and Goat Rocks locations, and then tells you that they no longer exist. The lateral blast utterly destroyed them.
We get to know David Johnston and Harry Glicken, and we get to know Dan Swanson and Rocky Crandall and Donal Mullineaux and so many others. We become friends with Dave Harlow and Rick Hoblitt. We find out about Barry Voigt and his landslide genius, and we look at the terrible pressures under which these people operated. And we know not all of them are alive today, and why, and what went differently.
From there we go to Long Valley and discover what happens when volcanologists get it wrong and things go back to sleep, and Armero and the terrible tragedy of lack of preparation. All of this builds up to the chapters that absolutely must be read: the complete story of Clark Air Force Base and Angeles City in the Philippines, and why that eruption did not kill many thousands more.
At one point in these latter chapters, Thompson switches abruptly from past to present tense. It should be jarring. It isn't. It took me till my third read to notice, that's how absorbed I was. I'm sure you'll be aware far sooner, since I bring it up, but I hope you'l agree that Thompson's choice is absolutely appropriate.
It shouldn't make me happy on some levels. People did die and suffer, and their stories are sad and moving. But it does make me happy, because this book is the story of how we learned, how we looked at evidence, how the scientific method works, and how smart people working together made something work. I feel much better for having read this book.
Five of five stars, and I wish I could give it six. Please do read this.
August 15, 2012
A fascinating book. Focuses mainly on Mt. St. Helens which erupted while we lived in Calif. Later we flew commercial to Seattle and the pilot dipped the plane so we could all look down into the newer crater. Although you know the mountain blows, there is still a great sense of suspense in the chapters leading up to the actual event. Well, events....
The second part is mostly about Pinatubo, its warnings and the difficulty of the experts trying to convey the impending catastrophe when it is so hard to pin down. the Commander of Clark AB (they are all Air Bases overseas; not AFBs) was extremely resistant to any sort of preparation, but was eventually won over. When the warning finally came 14,500 people were evacuated to Subic Bay in six hours.
Many amazing numbers about it when it finally goes and the one that impressed me the most was the comparison to the volcano as a shaken up soda bottle which is suddenly opened. "Radar operators were stunned to see the eruption column [of gasses and ash] leap off their scope at 80,000 feet in fifteen seconds." Fifteen seconds!
Published in 2000 and still engrossing.
The second part is mostly about Pinatubo, its warnings and the difficulty of the experts trying to convey the impending catastrophe when it is so hard to pin down. the Commander of Clark AB (they are all Air Bases overseas; not AFBs) was extremely resistant to any sort of preparation, but was eventually won over. When the warning finally came 14,500 people were evacuated to Subic Bay in six hours.
Many amazing numbers about it when it finally goes and the one that impressed me the most was the comparison to the volcano as a shaken up soda bottle which is suddenly opened. "Radar operators were stunned to see the eruption column [of gasses and ash] leap off their scope at 80,000 feet in fifteen seconds." Fifteen seconds!
Published in 2000 and still engrossing.
October 17, 2016
This is an excellent overview of the advances in the science of volcano prediction told around the eruptions of two volcanoes; Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, with additional material briefly covering the years between the two events. Since I just read No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz much of the terminology was familiar, and I had hoped the author would fold in the events covered in that book as well, but Thompson only included a brief mention of the lahar that destroyed Armero. Other reviewers have complained that they were looking for an overview of volcano geology and didn't find it, but I thought Thompson did an excellent job of covering the science while at the same time writing a narrative that was enjoyable to read.
June 26, 2011
Seriously, these guys are NUTS! While everyone else runs screaming FROM a volcano, these dudes are running TOWARDS them! This was an awesome book, and I loved it. Added to my "Research for Fyre Mountain" resume. Very nice breakdown of the stages an eruption goes through, and the different types of eruptions. It also illustrates the lengths of denial people will go to, until faced with the harsh reality--the people who had to retrieve a photo album from an evacuated house on the day Mt St Helens blew. Seriously, NOTHING you own is worth dying for. If the experts say GET OUT, go visit Grandma in Iowa for a nice long stay...
December 30, 2024
It was so good to revisit my childhood favorite non-fiction book again. For a geology obsessed teenager, this book was perfect, and I read it countless times, including once before I visited Vesuvius and Pompeii. A few weeks ago, I went to look for it in the library, and they had removed it from circulation!! My mom got it for me for Christmas, and I had fun reading it again and immersing myself in the world of volcanology. This book inspired my desire to be a geologist as a teenager, though life got in the way of that plan, unfortunately.
July 13, 2014
"We called ourselves volcano cowboys and we were anxious to go to any volcano that would have us."
Love this book! Ok, I'm a geologist who loves history too so this is the perfect match for me. This is the riveting story of those scientists who brought volcanology into the modern era. It's the story of how Mount St. Helens changed everything we thought we knew about volcanos and the brave men and women who struggled to extract science from such a violent laboratory.
Love this book! Ok, I'm a geologist who loves history too so this is the perfect match for me. This is the riveting story of those scientists who brought volcanology into the modern era. It's the story of how Mount St. Helens changed everything we thought we knew about volcanos and the brave men and women who struggled to extract science from such a violent laboratory.
March 19, 2012
An APL Recycled Reads find. A vivid story of the dedicated scientists of the US Geological Survey who took volcanology from an art to a science. The story details Mt St Helens, what the Survey learned and politics aside how they put that to use to save lives at Clark Air Force base in the Philippines during the eruption of Mount Pinatuba. Well written and a riveting read for a science story.
June 20, 2010
"Disbelief is often the first response to a volcano's awakening." This book was recommended to me by a coworker whose neighbors are USGS vulcanologist who study Mt. St. Helens. In honor of the 30th anniversary of the volcano's eruption, I thought this wold be a good book to read. It's very good!
October 28, 2012
I thought this was about volcanoes in general. Unfortunately it seems to be all about the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I live about 50 miles from that mountain and was here when it erupted, I don't want to be reminded of that.
The book could be very interesting otherwise.
The book could be very interesting otherwise.
January 10, 2013
This title chronicles the changes and growth of volcano research from the predicted, but deadly eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, to the successful evacuation around Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. More than you ever wanted to know about volcanoes!
March 5, 2008
A gift from someone who knows of my nerdy passion for books about rocks. A great look into the life of scientists and also how science moves forward. Very readable and insightful.
September 1, 2008
One of my favorites... the real story of how modern volcanology came to be during the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Pinitubo in 1991.
October 24, 2009
Reading this was prompted by seeing volcanos in Costa Rica. Now I know more about various kinds.
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