Modeling Volcanic Processes: The Physics and Mathematics of Volcanism

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.

Table of Contents:
List of contributors; 1. Introduction Sarah Fagents, Tracy Gregg and Rosaly Lopes; 2. Magma chamber dynamics and thermodynamics Josef Dufek, Chris Huber and Leif Karlstrom; 3. The dynamics of dike propagation Steve Tait and Benoit Taisne; 4. Dynamics of magma ascent in the volcanic conduit Helge Gonnermann and Michael Manga; 5. Lava flows Andrew Harris; 6. Unsteady explosive activity: Strombolian eruptions Mike James, Steve Lane and Bruce Houghton; 7. Unsteady explosive activity: Vulcanian eruptions Amanda Clarke; 8. Sustained explosive activity: volcanic eruption columns and Hawaiian fountains Andrew Woods; 9. Modeling tephra sedimentation from volcanic plumes Costanza Bonadonna and Antonio Costa; 10. Pyroclastic density currents Olivier Roche, Jeremy Phillips and Karim Kelfoun; 11. Magma-water interactions Ken Wohletz, Bernd Zimanowski and Ralf Büttner; 12. Deep sea eruptions Tracy Gregg; 13. Magma-ice interactions Lionel Wilson, John Smellie and James Head; 14. Modeling lahar behavior and hazards Vernon Manville, Jon Major and Sarah Fagents; 15. Introduction to quantitative volcano seismology: fluid driven sources Bernard Chouet; 16. Volcano acoustics Milton Garcés, David Fee and Robin Matoza; 17. Planetary volcanism Rosaly Lopes, Sarah Fagents, Karl Mitchell, and Tracy Gregg; Index.

About the Author :
Sarah A. Fagents is an Associate Researcher in the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at the University of Hawaii. She specializes in volcanic fluid dynamics, combining numerical modeling with field and remote sensing studies on Earth and other volcanic planets of the Solar System. In addition to frequent visits to the volcanoes of Hawaii, her research includes studying lahar emplacement in New Zealand, investigating explosive lava–water interactions in Iceland and on Mars, and deciphering the signatures of cryovolcanism on the icy moons of the outer Solar System. She has shared her enthusiasm for planetary volcanism through TV documentaries and public lectures. Tracy K. P. Gregg is an Associate Professor of Geology and a member of the Volcanology Research Group at the State University of New York, Buffalo. She has studied volcanoes around the world, including in Iceland, Hawaii, and at the bottom of the ocean – the latter using the HOV Alvin. Her area of expertise is the study of lava flow emplacement around the Solar System, particularly on Mars, but she enjoys studying lava flows of any composition, in any tectonic setting, on any planet. She is the co-editor of two other volcanology books that focus on volcanic behaviors in the range of environments found in our Solar System. Rosaly M. C. Lopes is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she heads the Geophysics and Planetary Geosciences Group. An expert on volcanism and cryovolcanism in the Solar System, she is the author of five other books, including The Volcano Adventure Guide (Cambridge University Press). She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received numerous other honors, including the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society. She is a frequent contributor to TV documentaries and lectures widely on volcanoes and space exploration.

Review :
'Modeling Volcanic Processes is a collection of 17 chapters, each written by different experts, which together cover a broad range of physical processes from magma chamber dynamics to tephra sedimentation to volcano acoustics. The perspective is physical with a focus on modeling. Each chapter not only provides a clear and accessible introduction to the topic before moving on to more quantitative aspects, but also brings the reader up to date and considers future directions in the field. All the material is well referenced, which allows the reader to follow up on particular facts and topics; there are also exercises to try, with solutions provided along with other supporting material on a website supported by Cambridge University Press.' Alison Rust, American Mineralogist