A summary of insights into key aspects of explosive volcanic eruptions, arranged into chapters in order of the processes involved, from the hot magma releasing gases as it rises through the Earth's crust to the final deposition of materials upon the Earth's surface.

Paroxysmal explosive activity is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena, which is recognized as having strong impact not only at a local scale but whose effects can also reach far areas and, indeed, can significantly affect the atmosphere, and the environment in the overall. The most devastating and recent example occurred in 2010, when the Icelandic Eyiafjallajökull volcano erupted disrupting air traffic all over Europe and the North Atlantic for weeks. Between 2008 and 2013, the long-lasting eruption of Chaitén volcano in Chile produced plumes 14-20 km high reaching the coast of Argentina and causing ash fallout as far as 800 km from the vent, and the continuously erupting volcanoes of the Kamchatka Peninsula and of the Aleutian arc have caused often treats to air traffic. The eruption of Pinatubo (Philippines) in 1991 had a strong impact all over the globe, causing significant and measurable atmospheric perturbation and impacting the world temperature. More recently, Mount Etna in Italy displayed tens of paroxysmal explosive episodes affecting the air traffic, viability, settlements, environment, and economics. Over time, several studies have been devoted to understanding what drives paroxysmal explosive activity. Owning to the treating characteristics, so far great efforts have been made trying to detect precursory signals, parameterize the phenomena, apply conceptual and experimental models, and assess the associated hazards. Published papers have used (i) geophysical data aimed at constraining the source region (depth, size, and position), (ii) gas chemistry and mineral geochemistry and petrology to identify the driving force of explosions and characterize the nature of the involved magmas, (iii) volcanology data and observations as well as ground-based and satellite remote sensing to quantify the volumes of erupted products and track the eruptive process, and (iv) laboratory experiments and plume models to characterize the rheology of the erupted products and forecast the impact of the eruptive clouds on the environment, climate, and the whole planet. In this book, we present a collection of ten papers written by 67 authors spanning from seismicity and ground deformation to geochemistry, volcanology and other geophysical techniques applied to the characterization of paroxysms at several active volcanoes.

Statistics in Volcanology is a comprehensive guide to modern statistical methods applied in volcanology written by today's leading authorities. The volume aims to show how the statistical analysis of complex volcanological data sets, including time series, and numerical models of volcanic processes can improve our ability to forecast volcanic eruptions. Specific topics include the use of expert elicitation and Bayesian methods in eruption forecasting, statistical models of temporal and spatial patterns of volcanic activity, analysis of time series in volcano seismology, probabilistic hazard assessment, and assessment of numerical models using robust statistical methods. Also provided are comprehensive overviews of volcanic phenomena, and a full glossary of both volcanological and statistical terms. Statistics in Volcanology is essential reading for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and research scientists interested in this multidisciplinary field.

"Don Swanson has adopted a detailed, field-oriented approach to studying problems of great volcanologic importance across a range of compositions and scales. This volume emphasizes the role of field volcanology as a window into better understanding volcanic processes, past and present, and highlights those places and processes where Swanson's insights have been particularly impactful"--

Understanding the physical behavior of volcanoes is key to mitigating the hazards active volcanoes pose to the ever-increasing populations living nearby. The processes involved in volcanic eruptions are driven by a series of interlinked physical phenomena, and to fully understand these, volcanologists must employ various physics subdisciplines. This book provides the first advanced-level, one-stop resource examining the physics of volcanic behavior and reviewing the state-of-the-art in modeling volcanic processes. Each chapter begins by explaining simple modeling formulations and progresses to present cutting-edge research illustrated by case studies. Individual chapters cover subsurface magmatic processes through to eruption in various environments and conclude with the application of modeling to understanding the other volcanic planets of our Solar System. Providing an accessible and practical text for graduate students of physical volcanology, this book is also an important resource for researchers and professionals in the fields of volcanology, geophysics, geochemistry, petrology and natural hazards.

A summary of insights into key aspects of explosive volcanic eruptions, arranged into chapters in order of the processes involved, from the hot magma releasing gases as it rises through the Earth's crust to the final deposition of materials upon the Earth's surface.