he American Museum of Natural History sent Curator Edmund Hovey, a geologist, who collected haunting artifacts, many of which are on display in Nature’s Fury: The Science of Natural Disasters.
Many explosive volcanoes are located far from major population centers, but worldwide, several hundred million people make their homes near volcanoes that have previously erupted—and could do so again. Fortunately, volcanoes generally show signs of activity weeks to days before erupting, and continuous monitoring of active volcanoes has substantially reduced risks. Fewer than 1,600 people have died in volcanic eruptions in the last 25 years.
Yet mega-eruptions, which can spew thick layers of ash over thousands of square miles, may occur only once in several tens of thousands of years. Because they are so infrequent, the risks associated with such events are poorly understood.