By Sid Perkins
The Last Volcano
John Dvorak
Pegasus Books, $28.95
Since prehistoric times, erupting volcanoes have been both awesome and mysterious. But these days, they’re a good bit less mysterious thanks to Thomas Jaggar. In The Last Volcano, geologist John Dvorak captivatingly chronicles the life and times of this vanguard scientist.
Jaggar’s research in the late 19th and early 20th centuries forms the foundation of almost every aspect of modern volcanology, Dvorak says. Jaggar foresaw the need for a network of volcano and earthquake observatories. And as the director of such a facility in Hawaii, he was among the first scientists to collect samples of gas spewing from Mauna Loa — samples that are still some of the best ever collected during an eruption there.