Hot Spots: America's Volcanic Landscapes

by Diane Cook, Len Jenshel (Photographer)

Hot Spots tells the story of the earth creating itself. Eighty-four photographs depict active and dormant volcanoes, steaming geysers, and "hot spots" across America. From the drama of red-hot lava exploding into the ocean in Hawaii, to the ethereal wonderland of steam and mist in the geyser basins of Yellowstone, to the surreal lunar landscape of Mount Saint Helens, this book shows the many different ways to look at a geologically, photographically, and metaphorically. Pictured here are some of the most exciting places in America to visit and observe the elemental forces still at work on our planet.
The book focuses on four regions of the American the Hawaiian Islands, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, California and the Southwest, and Yellowstone and the northern mountain states. The dramatic landscapes of eighteen national parks and monuments in thirteen states are featured, including those of Katmai National Park in Alaska, Death Valley National Park in California, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Following the portfolio section are descriptions of each photograph, which include a wealth of geologic background as well as the myths surrounding volcanoes and the authors' accounts of their adventures during the years spent completing this ambitious project. An illustrated map and a glossary round out this multifaceted exploration of America's volcanic landscape.

Genres: Photography

136 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Diane Cook is the author of the novel, THE NEW WILDERNESS, and the story collection, MAN V. NATURE, which was a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, the Believer Book Award, and the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her writing has appeared in Harper's, Tin House, Granta, and other publications, and her stories have been included in the anthologies Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories. She is a former producer for the radio program This American Life, and was the recipient of a 2016 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.