Scientists in the Field series
Elizabeth Rusch
2013
Is it
insane to live in the shadow of a volcano?
More than a billion people live within the reach of a volcanic
eruption. Most of the time the people are
safe and volcanic ash from previous eruptions make the land perfect for
farming. But then there are times when
the volcano becomes very, very deadly.
It is 1985. The city of Amero, Columbia has more than
30,000 inhabitants, even though it sits in the valley beneath the volcano
Nevado del Ruiz. Then, on November 13,
the volcano erupts. Instantly tons of
snow is melted, starting a mudslide that will envelop the city. More than 23,000 people are killed. Why, with all of the sophisticated equipment
of the late 20th century was this allowed to happen? Some scientists vow, “Never Again,” and the
Volcano Disaster Assistance Program was formed.
Eruption tells the story of two
subsequent volcanic eruptions – Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Mount
Merapi in Indonesia – and how scientists are now able to predict when a volcano
is about to erupt and then order evacuations that are both timely and
life-saving.
I’ve only
read a couple of books in the Scientist
in the Field series but the ones I have read have been stellar examples of
nonfiction writing. Eruption was no exception – it was suspenseful and well-written and
I learned much about volcanoes. I highly
recommend this addition.
Review copy came from my school library.
