Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology

The world's leading student text on physical volcanology offers an unmatched introduction to the field

In the revised second edition of Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology, the authors provide a comprehensive introduction to the processes that control when and how volcanoes erupt. Understanding these processes involves bringing together ideas from a number of disciplines, including branches of geology, such as petrology and geochemistry, and aspects of physics, such as fluid dynamics and thermodynamics.

With the help of new and improved illustrations, this new edition explains eruption types and mechanisms, subsurface processes, volcanic eruption products, and how volcanoes affect their surrounding environment.

Readers will also find:

• Quantitative treatment of physical volcanological processes
• A review of the historical development of volcanology
• Examples of current research trends and topics in volcanology

Perfect for undergraduate earth sciences students and graduate students starting research programs in volcanology, Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology will also earn a place in the libraries of researchers in related fields seeking an accessible introduction to the principles of physical volcanology.

Elisabeth Parfitt was previously a lecturer in Physical Volcanology at the University of Leeds and an Honorary Research Fellow at Lancaster University in the UK. She also spent time in the USA as a Research Scientist at Brown University and at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She currently works as an Archivist in North Wales.

Lionel Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Lancaster University, UK. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Hawai'i and Brown University in the USA.

Laura Kerber is a Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a Visiting Associate in Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology.