My experiments with volcanoes

A pioneering geologist devoted his life to understanding the restless forces beneath the Earth’s surface, turning the raw power of volcanoes into a laboratory of discovery. From the early 1900s, his relentless curiosity led him from the swamps and ice of Harvard to the molten craters of Kilauea, where he helped establish the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The narrative follows his early expeditions, the challenges of setting up equipment in hostile terrain, and his determination to turn observation into systematic science.

Through vivid accounts and striking photographs, the book reveals the day‑to‑day work of measuring lava lakes, sounding molten pits, and even testing explosives to divert destructive flows. He shares the partnership with his wife Isabel, whose steady presence proved essential amid the ash and danger, and his collaborations with fellow pioneers who captured the eruptions on film. Readers are invited into the first half of a career that reshaped volcanic monitoring and laid the groundwork for modern hazard protection.