From the 7,200-degree-Fahrenheit core to the fragmented crust of the earth"s surface, Jacques Kornprobst and Christine Laverne explain all aspects of vulcanology in Living Mountains: How and Why Volcanoes Erupt. With Kornprobst"s lucid prose and Laverne"s forty-six vivid watercolors, readers can see and understand the workings of subduction zones and seafloor spreading, how different lavas form through the partial melting of the earth"s various rocks, and why some volcanoes ooze fluid "a"a lavas while others explode 30,000-foot clouds of ash and incendiary lava bombsWritten for a general audience, Living Mountains gives readers a deeper understanding of some of the most powerful forces humans have ever witnessed.