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Vesuvius – A Biography Alwyn Scarth Terra Publishing 2009, ISBN 978-1-903544-25-9 £24.95 needed spatial dimension as the various stories unfold. Most of these are written with the immediacy of an eye witness account and Scarth has graphically detailed the eruptions, sometimes on an hourly basis. The chapters are well referenced with further reading at the end and an extensive bibliography. I particularly like the many aside notes, blocked in a different background colour, which further develop a geological point, some social comment, or simply an interesting piece of historical perspective. So we read that “Soon after 10.00 a.m. on 17th December (1631), it seemed indeed that the Last Judgement was about to be delivered.... An old women in Granatello described how the flow had emerged completely white, ‘like a silver baton’ and had rolled over the ground at first (as a pyroclastic flow).” Written in this way the science is secondary but implicit in the narrative for those with a geological background. And it makes a great read. Vesuvius is a dangerous volcano, though quite how dangerous I was not really aware of until reading this book. Most students in exams will recall specifics of the AD 79 eruption that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum (some even using the correct spelling) and, true to form, this book details this eruption, but only as one of the many events that has transformed Naples and the surrounding Province of Campania. For Alwyn Scarth, well known to us for his many books on the subject of volcanoes, has written a biography of Vesuvius from its birth long before mankind first settled in the region, right up to the present, with some worrying speculation about the inevitable future events. The book was written in 2009 and is currently only published in hardback by Terra Publishing – well known to us to be specialists in producing readable books in the Earth sciences. This book is no exception and consists of 13 chapters chronicling the daily history of each major event, not only of Vesuvius, but also the Campi Flegrei caldera to the west. This is based on the latest geological research, backed up by contemporary historical accounts. Each chapter is well illustrated with black and white satellite images, photos, maps, diagrams and art that give a much Campania has one of the longest recorded human histories anywhere in the world, and volcanoes have played a dominant role in fashioning the human environment. This is, therefore, not just a biography of a volcano but, also bound up in the pyroclastic deposits, mudflows and lava, is a biography of the changing social, spiritual, intellectual and political development of Campania as it finds its place in the changing world. So in addition to the letters of Pliny the Younger and the aid relief organised by the Roman Emperor Titus following the AD79 eruption, we read about the archaeological work of Giuseppe Fiorelli in excavating the remains at Pompeii, and learn of the work of Sir William Hamilton (of Emma Hamilton and Admiral Nelson fame) in the 1760’s as one of the founders of modern volcanology. And there are many more. In all, this is a very readable book for the non specialist as well as those with a little more geological knowledge and a great book to take with you should you be intending to take the equivalent of the eighteenth century “Grand Tour”. There are also some great case studies for students taking the Geology of the Human Environment course at AS. You are promised explosive stuff and this book delivers. And with this view of the volcanic history of the region, the overriding impression is that, inevitably, this is something of which we have not heard the last! Peter Loader St. Bede’s College, Manchester 66 Teaching Earth Sciences Vol 35 No 1 2010 www.esta-uk.net
Diary March 2010 1st March until 11th April Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD 1st March until 27th May Ida fossil cast on display Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD 10th March Lecture: Carbon Capture and Storage: Our Only Hope to Avoid Global Warming? The Geological Society, Burlington House. Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG Contact: www.geolsoc.org.uk/ 24th – 25th March Conference: Carbon Storage Opportunities in The North Sea The Geological Society, Burlington House. Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG Contact: www.geolsoc.org.uk/ 27th – 28th March Rock’n’Gem Show Cheltenham Racecourse Prestbury Park, Cheltenham, Gloucester Contact: www.rockngem.co.uk April 2010 9th – 10th April Geographical Association Conference: Geography: The Big Picture Derby University Contact: www.geography.org.uk 14th April Lecture: The Search for Source Rocks on Mars The Geological Society, Burlington House. Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG Contact: www.geolsoc.org.uk/ 24th – 25th April Rock’n’Gem Show Newark Showground, Winthorpe, Newark, Notts Contact: www.rockngem.co.uk May 2010 12th May Lecture: The Evolution of a Megaproject on Sakhalin Island The Geological Society, Burlington House. Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG Contact: www.geolsoc.org.uk/ June 2010 5th – 6th June Rock’n’Gem Show Kempton Park Racecourse Staines Road East (A308), Sunbury on Thames, West London Contact: www.rockngem.co.uk www.esta-uk.net Vol 35 No 1 2010 Teaching Earth Sciences 67
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Teaching ISSN 0957-8005 Earth Scien
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Contents From the Editor Hazel Clar
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From the Chair Niki Whitburn Welcom
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Fred Broadhurst remembered 5 Februa
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Geology and Society - ESTA Annual C
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ESTA Conference, Southampton 2009 P
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Teaching Ideas from the ‘Bring an
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Idea Title: Presenter: Brief descri
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Page 21 and 22: Sub-surf Rocks! ESTA at Southampton
Page 23 and 24: Potential exists to use Google Eart
Page 25 and 26: Conclusion Since the development of
Page 27 and 28: Figure 1 A simple diagram showing t
Page 29 and 30: Figure 3 Predicted annual surface t
Page 31 and 32: emissions in ocean surface waters,
Page 33 and 34: Greenhouse to icehouse: Arctic clim
Page 35 and 36: the results are extremely striking.
Page 37 and 38: experienced by this region have bee
Page 39 and 40: Climate Change . . . Save the Plane
Page 41 and 42: 14-18) from King Edward VI Five Way
Page 43 and 44: Figure 2 The living roof planted wi
Page 45 and 46: Peneplains and plate tectonics Mark
Page 47 and 48: Figure 2 Planation surfaces (penepl
Page 49 and 50: Lidmar-Bergström, K. (1999) Uplift
Page 51 and 52: The formation of Gondwana (and Laur
Page 53 and 54: The fracturing of Gondwana was a pr
Page 55 and 56: Figure 5 Plunge refers to the dip o
Page 57 and 58: The foregoing is a summary of terms
Page 59 and 60: Reviews The Control of Nature John
Page 61 and 62: The starting point of the Deep Time
Page 63 and 64: With an introductory textbook of th
Page 65 and 66: Earth’s Climate provides a multid
Page 67: Excursion Guide to the Geology of E
Page 71: 9th June Lecture: The Chemistry of
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