"Fire and Mud: Eruptions and Lahars of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines" Edited by Christopher G. Newhall and Raymundo S. Punongbayan

Abstract

Fire and Mud: Eruptions and Lahars of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines is an absorbing monograph on the events before, during, and after the June 15, 1991, climactic eruption of Pinatubo, along with a compilation of numerous scientific studies that provide great insight into the structure and behavior of the volcano. Many seismologists are no doubt familiar with the story of the Philippine and USGS volcanologists and seismologists who risked their lives monitoring Pinatubo's activity and, ultimately, with a combination of skill, nerve, and luck, issued evacuation warnings that saved untold thousands of lives. This book captures that drama, with a public (not to mention the US military) generally oblivious to the potential hazard, and scientists frantically trying to maintain the inflow of information (seismic data, gas emissions, deformation, visual observations, etc.) while struggling to keep abreast of what that information implied so as to permit their eventual life- saving decision making...