No other natural disaster grabs hold of the imagination like explosive, lava spitting volcanoes. With red hot lava rolling down the rocky sides, black smoke billowing in the air, and fiery streaks shooting in the air, a volcano inspires terror and awe. Authors Judy and Dennis Fradin have captured the awesome power of volcanoes in their National Geographic kids’ book Volcanoes: Witness to Disaster (ISBN: 0792253760).
Famous Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanoes: Witness to Disaster opens up with witness accounts of the birth of Paricutin Volcano. Paricutin Volcano was born on February 5, 1943 in a field in Mexico. The farmer of the land, and his wife, felt small earthquakes under their feet. By evening, the ground split open and smoke billowed up. The farmer and wife fled to a nearby village.
Today, Paricutin Volcano stands at a proud 1,390 feet (424 m) where the field once was. Buried beneath its sides are two villages. Although this new volcano has not erupted in more than 50 years, the area is still hot enough to melt the bottoms of shoes.
Another famous volcanic eruption in Volcanoes: Witness to Disaster includes the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The city of Pompeii was buried under this eruption, preserving the city and its inhabitants for later generations to excavate and study.
In 1902, another volcano wiped out a city. Monte Pelee exploded on May 8, 1902 and killed about 29,000 people in Saint-Pierre. What was especially frightening about this volcano is that it sent out a sideways explosion of superheated gas and materials that quickly incinerated everything in its path. Only two people survived the eruption.
Other famous eruptions are also covered. These include Mount St. Helens, Mount Tambora, Krakatau Volcano, and Santorini Volcano.
Volcano Science
Volcanology is the fascinating study of volcanoes. In Volcanoes: Witness to Disaster, kids will learn about the anatomy of a volcano, how volcanoes wreak destruction as well as how they have shaped the Earth, and the different types, or shapes, of volcanoes.
Science Made Exciting
Volcanoes: Witness to Disaster is one of those rare science books that everyone will enjoy. Readers will get to know the awesome power of volcanoes and the power they hold on the imagination and fear.
For educators, this is a must have book for science. Whether in the school or home, kids and adults will learn a lot from this book and, more important, will want to learn more about volcanoes and how they affected our history.
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