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.

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.