The eruption of the Paricutin scoria cone from 1943 to 1952 marks the first time scientists were able to observe the complete life cycle of a volcano, from birth to extinction. Geologists from many parts of the world came to study this extraordinary volcanic event. The knowledge gained by these scientists greatly expanded our understanding of volcanism in general, and of scoria-cone formation in particular. The most recent, detailed description of this classic eruption is in the book "Paricutin: the volcano born in a Mexican cornfield" published in 1993 and edited by Jim Luhr and Tom Simkin of the Smithsonian Institution.