The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes
- 3rd Edition - October 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editors: Costanza Bonadonna, Luca Caricchi, Amanda Clarke, Paul Cole, Jan Lindsay, Jake Lowenstern, Richard Robertson, Ma. Mylene Villegas
- Language: English
The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, Third Edition is an updated edition of the PROSE award winning title, which summarizes our present knowledge of volcanoes; it provides a comprehen… Read more
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The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, Third Edition is an updated edition of the PROSE award winning title, which summarizes our present knowledge of volcanoes; it provides a comprehensive source of information on the causes of volcanic eruptions and both the destructive and beneficial effects. This new edition illustrates the best approaches to characterize key aspects of volcanology, demonstrates the importance of volcanology for a sustainable planet, and has been developed by a multi-disciplinary, multi-gender and multi-cultural teams of both editors and authors.
The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes, Third Edition is a necessary reference for students, academics and professionals in volcanology and Earth science to understand and characterize the effects and role played by volcanoes, much as the previous editions were before it.
- Provides a comprehensive reference work covering all aspects of volcanology
- Explores an integrated transition from the physical process of eruptions through hazards and risk, to how volcanoes play a role in global sustainability
- Presents hundreds of color photographs, maps, charts and illustrations making this an aesthetically appealing reference
- Includes a glossary of 3,000 key terms with definitions of all key vocabulary items in the field
- Incorporates significantly expanded material on the role of volcanoes in the global cycle, sustainability and energy
Masters and PhD students, as well as Postdocs in volcanology, geology, natural resources, geophysics, and natural hazards; early career researchers and practitioners in the areas of natural resources and hazards
PART 1: Introduction to the 3rd edition of the Encyclopedia
PART 2: Tectonics and plumbing systems
1. Introduction
2. Tectonics and Volcanoes
2.1 Tectonic control on distribution of volcanoes
2.2 Tectonic control on magma chemistry and volatile content
2.3 Tectonic control on frequency and magnitude of eruptions
3. Architecture of Volcanic Plumbing Systems (VPS)
3.1 Geophysical characterisation of the structure of VPS
3.2 Petrological characterisation of VPS
3.3 Modelling magma accumulation
4. From unrest to eruptions
4.1 Triggering
4.2 Ascent
4.3 Eruption
PART 3: Volcanic eruptions and associated products
1. Introduction
2. Effusive eruptions
2.1 Lava Flows
2.2 Domes
3. Explosive eruptions
3.1 Lava fountains
3.2 Plumes
3.3 Tephra deposits
3.4 PDCs
4. Eruptions transitions
5. Secondary processes
5.1 Lahars
5.2 Ash Resuspension
5.3 Tsunamis
5.4 Volcano instabilities (e.g. debris avalanches, secondary PDCs)
PART 4: Terrestrial and extra-terrestrial volcanic environments
1. Introduction
2. Terrestrial environments – subaerial
2.1 Arc Volcanism
2.2 Glaciovolcanism
2.3 Distributed Volcanic fields
2.4 Large Igneous Provinces, Flood Basalt Volcanism and Hot spots
2.5 Calderas & very large eruptions (silicic and mafic caldera forming)
3. Terrestrial environments - under sea
3.1 Submarine Eruptions (Deep Ocean / Hydrothermal vents)
3.3 Seamounts and Island Building
4. Extra-Terrestrial environments
4.1 Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury
4.2 Io, Cryovolcanism
PART 5: Resources for sustainable development associated with volcanism
1. Introduction
2. Intrusion-hosted deposits
2.1 Porphyries, skarns and pegmatites
2.2 Kimberlites and Carbonatites: Ore-forming magmas from the mantle
3. Hydrothermal systems
3.1 Mining heat: geothermal systems
3.2 Exploring and exploiting the magma-hydrothermal interface and super-critical systems for heat or metals
4. Volcanic resources on the Earth’s surface
4.1 Volcanic terrains and the origins of Li, Be, and B deposits
4.2 Grazing, foraging, gravel mining, and micro-farming on the slopes of active volcanoes
PART 6: Impact of volcanic processes
1. Introduction
2. Primary processes
2.1 Tephra fallout (including ballistics)
2.2 PDCs
2.3 Lava flows
2.4 Gas
2.5 Earthquakes / Deformation
3. Secondary processes
3.1 Lahars
3.2 Ash Resuspension
3.3 Tsunamis
3.4 Volcano instabilities (e.g. debris avalanches, secondary PDCs)
PART 7: From volcanic hazard to risk assessment
1. Introduction
2. Hazard assessment
2.1 Deterministic versus probabilistic hazard assessment
2.2 Hazard mapping; understanding hazard maps
3. Exposure assessment
3.1 Various approaches to exposure analysis (including assessment of economic values)
3.2 Exposure evolution around volcanoes (how dynamic is exposure?)
4. Vulnerability assessment
4.1 Multiple dimensions of vulnerability (e.g. social, physical, economic, environmental, systemic) in a volcanic context
4.2 Fragility curves, vulnerability curves and damage scales associated with the different volcanic processes
5. Resilience / Coping Capacity assessment
5.1 Resilience / Coping Capacity studies in a volcanic context
5.2 Engineering resilience (related to infrastructure, buildings, etc…) (strategies of assessment)
5.3 Social resilience (strategies of assessment)
6. Risk assessment
6.1 Qualitative vs quantitative risk assessment
6.2 Glossary/Discussion of terminology and concepts for risk analysis
PART 8: Volcanic risk reduction
1. Introduction
2. Pre-Event activities
2.1 Volcano Early Warning Systems (incl. VALS)
2.2 Volcano observatories (establishment, operations, sustainability)
2.3 Synthesis of Volcano Monitoring techniques/networks focusing on recent advances
2.4 Design & execution of scenario simulation exercises
2.5 Raising awareness among population (e.g. awareness campaigns, schools curriculum, etc…)
3. During-event activities
3.1 Syn-eruptive Monitoring
3.2 Volcanic Crises Management (incl. roles & responsibilities; protocols; coordination)
3.2 Eruption forecasting for crisis management (incl. end of eruption)
4. Post-event activities
4.1 Cleaning up operations
4.2 Post-event impact assessment (including Forensic analysis)
4.2 Build Back Better (integration of lessons learnt)
PART 9: Community engagement and knowledge sharing at Volcanoes
1. Introduction
2. Community engagement
2.1 Educational Programs for Schools and Colleges (including good examples of public programs)
2.2 Public engagement methods and tools [incl. participatory mapping] in Volcanology (Volfilm & other videos, Animation, exhibitions, etc)
2.3 Citizen Science and Community Engagement
3. Knowledge sharing
3.1 Geomythology & Indigenous Knowledge
3.2 Social Media and Websites
3.2 Geoparks and geoheritage (including museum & exhibitions) (Protecting our global)
3.3 Volcanoes and Tourism
3.4 Volcanism and the Arts (including storytelling, dance, music, television, film & literature): coping mechanism for volcanic hazards
PART 10. Key open questions of volcanism faced by the scientific community
1. Introduction
1.1 History and importance of IAVCEI (written by IAVCEI scientific board)
1.2 Inclusive scientific culture: International Network for VOLcanology Collaboration (INVOLC)
2. Chemistry of the Earth
2.1 Commission on the Chemistry of Volcanic Gases
2.2 Commission on Volcanic Lakes
2.3 Commission on Volcano Geology
2.4 Commission on Geochemistry
2.5 IASPEI/IAVCEI Joint Commission on Physics and Chemistry of Earth Materials
2.6 Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems
3. Volcanic provinces and processes
3.1 Commission on Collapse Calderas
3.2 Commission on Explosive Volcanism
3.3 Commission on Large Igneous Provinces
3.4 Commission on Monogenetic Volcanism
3.5 Commission on Submarine Volcanism
3.6 Commission on Volcanogenic Sediments
4. Mitigation of volcanic disasters
4.1 Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk
4.2 Commission on Statistics in Volcanology
4.3 Commission on Tephra Hazard Modelling
4.4 Commission on Cities and Volcanoes
4.5 Commission on Volcano Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes
4.6 World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO)
4.7 The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN)
5. Volcano geophysics and remote sensing
5.1 Commission on Remote Sensing
5.2 Commission on Volcano Geodesy
5.3 IAGA/IASPEI/IAVCEI Working Group on Electromagnetic Studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (EMSEV)
5.4 IASPEI/IAVCEI Commission on Volcano Seismology & Acoustics
5.5 IAVCEI/IACS Commission on Volcano-Ice Interaction
5.6 IAPSO/IASPEI/IAVCEI Joint Tsunami Commission
5.7 IASPEI /IAVCEI /IAPSO International Heat Flow Commission
PART 2: Tectonics and plumbing systems
1. Introduction
2. Tectonics and Volcanoes
2.1 Tectonic control on distribution of volcanoes
2.2 Tectonic control on magma chemistry and volatile content
2.3 Tectonic control on frequency and magnitude of eruptions
3. Architecture of Volcanic Plumbing Systems (VPS)
3.1 Geophysical characterisation of the structure of VPS
3.2 Petrological characterisation of VPS
3.3 Modelling magma accumulation
4. From unrest to eruptions
4.1 Triggering
4.2 Ascent
4.3 Eruption
PART 3: Volcanic eruptions and associated products
1. Introduction
2. Effusive eruptions
2.1 Lava Flows
2.2 Domes
3. Explosive eruptions
3.1 Lava fountains
3.2 Plumes
3.3 Tephra deposits
3.4 PDCs
4. Eruptions transitions
5. Secondary processes
5.1 Lahars
5.2 Ash Resuspension
5.3 Tsunamis
5.4 Volcano instabilities (e.g. debris avalanches, secondary PDCs)
PART 4: Terrestrial and extra-terrestrial volcanic environments
1. Introduction
2. Terrestrial environments – subaerial
2.1 Arc Volcanism
2.2 Glaciovolcanism
2.3 Distributed Volcanic fields
2.4 Large Igneous Provinces, Flood Basalt Volcanism and Hot spots
2.5 Calderas & very large eruptions (silicic and mafic caldera forming)
3. Terrestrial environments - under sea
3.1 Submarine Eruptions (Deep Ocean / Hydrothermal vents)
3.3 Seamounts and Island Building
4. Extra-Terrestrial environments
4.1 Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury
4.2 Io, Cryovolcanism
PART 5: Resources for sustainable development associated with volcanism
1. Introduction
2. Intrusion-hosted deposits
2.1 Porphyries, skarns and pegmatites
2.2 Kimberlites and Carbonatites: Ore-forming magmas from the mantle
3. Hydrothermal systems
3.1 Mining heat: geothermal systems
3.2 Exploring and exploiting the magma-hydrothermal interface and super-critical systems for heat or metals
4. Volcanic resources on the Earth’s surface
4.1 Volcanic terrains and the origins of Li, Be, and B deposits
4.2 Grazing, foraging, gravel mining, and micro-farming on the slopes of active volcanoes
PART 6: Impact of volcanic processes
1. Introduction
2. Primary processes
2.1 Tephra fallout (including ballistics)
2.2 PDCs
2.3 Lava flows
2.4 Gas
2.5 Earthquakes / Deformation
3. Secondary processes
3.1 Lahars
3.2 Ash Resuspension
3.3 Tsunamis
3.4 Volcano instabilities (e.g. debris avalanches, secondary PDCs)
PART 7: From volcanic hazard to risk assessment
1. Introduction
2. Hazard assessment
2.1 Deterministic versus probabilistic hazard assessment
2.2 Hazard mapping; understanding hazard maps
3. Exposure assessment
3.1 Various approaches to exposure analysis (including assessment of economic values)
3.2 Exposure evolution around volcanoes (how dynamic is exposure?)
4. Vulnerability assessment
4.1 Multiple dimensions of vulnerability (e.g. social, physical, economic, environmental, systemic) in a volcanic context
4.2 Fragility curves, vulnerability curves and damage scales associated with the different volcanic processes
5. Resilience / Coping Capacity assessment
5.1 Resilience / Coping Capacity studies in a volcanic context
5.2 Engineering resilience (related to infrastructure, buildings, etc…) (strategies of assessment)
5.3 Social resilience (strategies of assessment)
6. Risk assessment
6.1 Qualitative vs quantitative risk assessment
6.2 Glossary/Discussion of terminology and concepts for risk analysis
PART 8: Volcanic risk reduction
1. Introduction
2. Pre-Event activities
2.1 Volcano Early Warning Systems (incl. VALS)
2.2 Volcano observatories (establishment, operations, sustainability)
2.3 Synthesis of Volcano Monitoring techniques/networks focusing on recent advances
2.4 Design & execution of scenario simulation exercises
2.5 Raising awareness among population (e.g. awareness campaigns, schools curriculum, etc…)
3. During-event activities
3.1 Syn-eruptive Monitoring
3.2 Volcanic Crises Management (incl. roles & responsibilities; protocols; coordination)
3.2 Eruption forecasting for crisis management (incl. end of eruption)
4. Post-event activities
4.1 Cleaning up operations
4.2 Post-event impact assessment (including Forensic analysis)
4.2 Build Back Better (integration of lessons learnt)
PART 9: Community engagement and knowledge sharing at Volcanoes
1. Introduction
2. Community engagement
2.1 Educational Programs for Schools and Colleges (including good examples of public programs)
2.2 Public engagement methods and tools [incl. participatory mapping] in Volcanology (Volfilm & other videos, Animation, exhibitions, etc)
2.3 Citizen Science and Community Engagement
3. Knowledge sharing
3.1 Geomythology & Indigenous Knowledge
3.2 Social Media and Websites
3.2 Geoparks and geoheritage (including museum & exhibitions) (Protecting our global)
3.3 Volcanoes and Tourism
3.4 Volcanism and the Arts (including storytelling, dance, music, television, film & literature): coping mechanism for volcanic hazards
PART 10. Key open questions of volcanism faced by the scientific community
1. Introduction
1.1 History and importance of IAVCEI (written by IAVCEI scientific board)
1.2 Inclusive scientific culture: International Network for VOLcanology Collaboration (INVOLC)
2. Chemistry of the Earth
2.1 Commission on the Chemistry of Volcanic Gases
2.2 Commission on Volcanic Lakes
2.3 Commission on Volcano Geology
2.4 Commission on Geochemistry
2.5 IASPEI/IAVCEI Joint Commission on Physics and Chemistry of Earth Materials
2.6 Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing Systems
3. Volcanic provinces and processes
3.1 Commission on Collapse Calderas
3.2 Commission on Explosive Volcanism
3.3 Commission on Large Igneous Provinces
3.4 Commission on Monogenetic Volcanism
3.5 Commission on Submarine Volcanism
3.6 Commission on Volcanogenic Sediments
4. Mitigation of volcanic disasters
4.1 Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk
4.2 Commission on Statistics in Volcanology
4.3 Commission on Tephra Hazard Modelling
4.4 Commission on Cities and Volcanoes
4.5 Commission on Volcano Geoheritage and Protected Volcanic Landscapes
4.6 World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO)
4.7 The International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN)
5. Volcano geophysics and remote sensing
5.1 Commission on Remote Sensing
5.2 Commission on Volcano Geodesy
5.3 IAGA/IASPEI/IAVCEI Working Group on Electromagnetic Studies of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (EMSEV)
5.4 IASPEI/IAVCEI Commission on Volcano Seismology & Acoustics
5.5 IAVCEI/IACS Commission on Volcano-Ice Interaction
5.6 IAPSO/IASPEI/IAVCEI Joint Tsunami Commission
5.7 IASPEI /IAVCEI /IAPSO International Heat Flow Commission
Review of the previous edition:
"There are many figures, tables, photographs, and charts, many of them in color in this well-produced second edition...I would recommend this volume to anyone interested in volcanoes and their activity."—The Leading Edge
"...provides an in-depth and scientific overview of volcanoes including how they are formed and monitored, but it also examines such unique topics as volcanoes in art and volcano tourism...the most comprehensive referenced book on volcanism that I've ever come across."—Tundraco
"There are many figures, tables, photographs, and charts, many of them in color in this well-produced second edition...I would recommend this volume to anyone interested in volcanoes and their activity."—The Leading Edge
"...provides an in-depth and scientific overview of volcanoes including how they are formed and monitored, but it also examines such unique topics as volcanoes in art and volcano tourism...the most comprehensive referenced book on volcanism that I've ever come across."—Tundraco
- Edition: 3
- Latest edition
- Published: October 1, 2026
- Language: English
CB
Costanza Bonadonna
Costanza Bonadonna is professor of physical volcanology hazard and risk at the University of Geneva, Switzerland; head of the CERG-C program on the assessment and management of geological and climate-related risks; vice-dean of the Faculty of Sciences; and President-elect of Volcanology, Geochemistry and Petrology, American Geophysical Union. Her main research interests include the physical characterization of volcanic processes, the probability assessment of volcanic hazards and the characterization of both vulnerability and risk. She is also active in the linkage between model development and risk assessment and mitigation in the effort of bridging the gap between scientists and non-scientists (e.g. emergency management planners, government officials). She is well known for her multidisciplinary scientific approaches and her involvement in the international effort for risk reduction.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, SwitzerlandLC
Luca Caricchi
Luca Caricchi is Professor of volcanology and petrology at the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Geneva, switzerland. He is the Swiss national IAVCEI representative and is a member of the Volcanic and Igneous Plumbing System commission of IAVCEI. He uses a combination of fieldwork, petrography, geochemistry, machine learning and statistics to quantify the rates of magma accumulation in volcanic plumbing systems and determine their modulating effect on the frequency, magnitude and intensity of volcanic eruptions. His research also focuses on magma-fluid interaction and the quantification of magmatic processes controlling the formation and distribution of ore deposits.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Volcanology and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, SwitzerlandAC
Amanda Clarke
Amanda Clarke is a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, USA. Her research focuses on the dynamics of volcanic eruptions, especially short-lived, highly-unsteady explosive eruptions, and dome-building systems. The Clarke group also explores pyroclastic deposits and lava flows on Earth, Mars, and the Moon, highly-explosive basaltic volcanism, cinder cone erosion and volcanic geomorphology, eruption triggering and interaction between geologic processes such as earthquake-triggered volcanic activity and the role of volcanic volatiles in atmospheric forcing. Her group uses a range of techniques to investigate volcanic processes, including numerical models, laboratory experiments, field and satellite observations of. She has conducted fieldwork in Indonesia, in the San Francisco Volcanic Field (AZ), at Mount St Helens (WA), in the Pinacate Volcanic Field Mexico, the Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat, and several other volcanic sites.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Arizona, USAPC
Paul Cole
Dr Paul Cole is Associate Professor of volcanology at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, UK. He holds BSc in Geology and a PhD in Volcanology, and has held post-doctoral research positions at the Universita di Napoli, Italy and University College London, UK. He has worked on active volcanoes extensively in Italy, the Azores, Central America and the Caribbean. Between 2009 and 2012 was Director of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, working for the University of the West Indies. His research is very much focussed on field based aspects of volcanic products and their interpretation in terms of their associated processes and mechanisms.
Affiliations and expertise
Associate Professor of volcanology, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UKJL
Jan Lindsay
Professor Jan Lindsay is a volcanologist in the School of Environment at Waipapa Taumata Rau the University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. She has held positions at GNS Science in Taupō, the GeoResearch Centre (GFZ) in Potsdam, Germany, and the University of the West Indies in Trinidad. She is Vice President of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) and is co-leader of the IAVCEI working Group on Volcanic Hazard Mapping. She is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Volcanology. She is a Past President of the Geoscience Society of New Zealand and co-leads the long-running DEVORA project, Determining Volcanic Risk in Auckland. Over her career she has worked on projects in the broad area of volcanic geology, hazard and risk in Aotearoa New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, the Lesser Antilles, Hawai’i and Saudi Arabia. Her leading role in the IAVCEI will facilitate the collaboration with the volcanogy community.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor, Volcanologist, School of Environment, University of Auckland, Aotearoa, New ZealandJL
Jake Lowenstern
Jake Lowenstern is a geologist and geochemist for the US Geological Survey (USGS) who has served in a variety of roles over his career. His research has focused on magmatic volatiles, their behavior, and their role in forming and sustaining geothermal systems and ore deposits. For fifteen years he served as Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, responsible for both the monitoring and science programs of the observatory, and communications with the public about this notable volcanic system. Since 2018, he has directed the USAID/USGS Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, which assists volcano observatories around the world with instrumentation, monitoring, training, communications, and general volcano-disaster, risk reduction. Given his expertise both in economic geology and risk reduction strategies, his role in the editorial team is crucial to cover key aspects of the sustainable developments goals.
Affiliations and expertise
Geologist and Geochemist, US Geological Survey (USGS), Oregon, USARR
Richard Robertson
Richard E. A. Robertson is a Geologist and Volcanologist who has worked in the Caribbean region for over 30 years. Born in St Vincent, Prof. Richard Robertson joined the staff at the Seismic Research Centre in 1993 after serving for six years as Head of the local volcano-monitoring unit in St. Vincent (the Soufriere Monitoring Unit). He did several tours of duty as Chief Scientist of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory during the period 1995-1999 and was its Director from October 1998 – March 1999. He led the Seismic Research Centre for 14 years during which time he was involved in all aspects of its operations - most closely with its public education, hazard assessment, ground deformation and geothermal monitoring programs. His research interests include all aspects of volcanic hazard and risk, the evolution of volcanism in the Eastern Caribbean, and public engagement in science. His role as a field researcher and academic working on natural hazards in the Caribbean enables him to contribute to a range of issues relevant to the SDGs, especially from the perspective of resource constrained regions of the world.
Affiliations and expertise
Geologist and Volcanologist, University of West Indies, Trinidad and TobagoMV
Ma. Mylene Villegas
Dr Mylene Villegas is Chief Science Research Specialist for the Geologic Disaster Awareness & Preparedness Division (GDAPD) at the Philippine Institute Of Volcanology And Seismology (Phivolcs). She has over 30 years of experience at Phivolcs and is a member of many international volcanology teams, including the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), Geological Society of the Philippines, Association of Development for Communication Educators and Practitioners (ADCEP) and the UP Geology Alumni Association (UPGAA). Her main focus is on Geologic Disaster Awareness and Preparedness for geochemistry and geology.
Affiliations and expertise
Chief Science Research Specialist, Philippine Institute Of Volcanology And Seismology (Phivolcs), Philippines