Eyewitness: Volcano & Earthquake (Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]

Susanna van Rose (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: DK Eyewitness Books

Discover the power of volcanoes and earthquakes -- from hot spots and black smokers to devastating tremors and tsunamis.

Here is an exciting and informative guide to the violent eruptions and tremors that shape our planet. Superb color photographs of lava flows and clouds of ash, plus specially built 3-D models, offer a unique "eyewitness" view of volcanoes and earthquakes, from the forces that drive them to the devastation they cause. See streams of red-hot lava, the earliest seismographs, rocks that float in water, the bodies of people killed by the great eruption of Vesuvius, and pools of bubbling mud. Learn how animals can detect earthquakes before people, what causes a fire fountain, how buildings are made to withstand earthquakes, where to hide during an earthquake, and why the earth shakes. Discover how the Mercalli scale works, how new islands are formed, why the sands of Hawaii are black, how volcanoes affect the ozone layer, what makes magma explode, what a pyrolcastic flow is, and much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-- Some of nature's most spectacular phenomena get the ``Eyewitness'' treatment, with the gorgeous graphics and outstanding design that characterize this series. As usual, coverage is primarily visual, with brief introductory text and informative captions. The account starts with an overall perspective showing how volcanoes and earthquakes occur, with related events like steam vents and boiling mud. Effects on humans and attempts to measure and predict these events are treated. Even volcanism on other planets (mostly their moons) is shown. The striking photographs include a shot of a Philippine town dusted by Mount Pinatubo; the people's colorful clothes clash with the ashy whitness covering all the houses and the ash-darkened sky. In another spread the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens can be seen rushing down the mountainside in three successive photos. This book will attract readers to an already popular topic, and will provide one of the most effective introductions available. Mary Elting's Volcanoes and Earthquakes (S. & S., 1990) offersmuch of the same information in more text-oriented form, with less attractive visuals. --Jonathan Betz-Zall, Sno-Isle Regional Lib . System, Edmonds, WA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789457806
• ISBN-13: 978-0789457806
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,744,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book for young readers, August 3, 2008

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Volcano & Earthquake (DK Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

Now that I have discovered the series of Eyewitness Books that I once purchased for my son when he was young (Can't believe he's beginning his senior year in college!), I enjoy going over them and reflecting on the value of this series for younger readers.

It is important that our youth understand the world around them--including a knowledge of science. This volume focuses on the volcano and earthquakes. Given the role--especially--of earthquakes in American history, this is a valuable volume.

The book begins with a basic point (Page 6): "Volcanoes and earthquakes are nature run wild." The first part of the work explores volcanoes. This includes the basics, including an examination of Vesuvius, what underlies the development of a volcano, volcanoes on other plants, and so on.

Then, a discussion of earthquakes. The basics: what they are, why they happen, what the consequences are.

All in all, a very nice introduction to these natural phenomena for younger readers (and parents might learn a whole bunch as well, just as I did).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hit with my grandson!, April 19, 2010

By 

M. J. Ward "Grandma Joan" (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Volcano & Earthquake (DK Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

My 4-year-old grandson has developed an interest in volcanoes (He's his mother's boy!) and I was given the task of finding books for him. I found a few for young children, and although he is much younger than the age group recommended for this book, I have had a long-standing purchase history with Eyewitness Books, so I ordered it. It is his favorite of the books I got -- he loves the graphics and photos, and his Mom and brother read the text to him. He has favorite pages, and even looks for "toy volcanoes and earthquakes" when he's at the store with his family.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant coverage of the subject, May 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Eyewitness: Volcano & Earthquake (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

This is one of the better DK Eyewitness books Ive read. It contained a pleasant mix of hard science, accounts of sensationalistic disasters, and the effects on the environment / cultures. The usual mind-boggling amount of details and facts are accompanied by numerous pictures and drawings to keep younger and more mature readers interested. One oddity is that this ended on a seemingly odd topic--the role of gods and religion in peoples interpretation of volcanoes and earthquakes. Just prior to this the study of volcanoes, and improvements in detection / building codes had been addressed (a very forward-looking topic) but then the last page is about gods (a historical perspective topic). Whatever.