Volcanoes of the World is an outstanding database detailing volcano activity throughout the world within the last 10,000 years. For more than 30 years, the Smithsonian Institution has been collecting and compiling information on volcanoes in order to gain a better understanding of volcanic activity and to make this information available to an ever‐expanding interest group. Two print versions of this information have been published: one by Tom Simkin et al. in 1981, and a revised version by Lee Siebert in 1994. Both are now out of print. However, instead of concentrating on printing another edition, the Smithsonian has taken to the Web to present a detailed and current version of the database that is easily accessible to all – the amateur and the expert.
Accessing the information is quite simple. There are two means of accessing the information: location and volcano name.
Searching by location is guided by selecting the appropriate area from a map or from a list of regional names (e.g. Region 01 – Mediterranean and W. Asia; Region 02 – Africa and Red Sea). I like the map searching, since this is as simple as clicking on the initial map and going to a secondary map detailing the area. For example, from the world map, researchers could select Iceland. This leads to a map of Iceland indicating its volcanoes by means of red triangles. On the left hand side is a list of the areas of Iceland (e.g. western, southwestern, etc.). Users can simply click on the appropriate area of the map, which will lead to a list of the volcanoes in that area. The information is presented in four columns: photo (if there is no photograph, none is shown); volcano name; volcano type (e.g. fissure vents, pyroclastic cones, etc.) and location. Clicking on the picture presents a large image of the volcano and some information on the volcano itself. Clicking on the name of the volcano provides a smaller version of the picture but more detailed information (name, country, sub‐region name, volcano number based on the Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World, volcano type, volcano status, last known eruption, summit elevation, latitude and longitude). One excellent feature is that anyone who would like more information on the criteria used for classifying the volcanoes can simply click on either the Volcano Data Criteria box or the Eruption Data Criteria box. Searching by volcano name is also easy. Researchers can either specify the actual name or simply enter the first letter (e.g. all volcanoes beginning with A). Search narrowing is achieved by selecting a region based on the location search. Further search refinements allow limiting to exact name or sorting by volcano number. It is also possible to list synonyms and sub‐features. Links can go to either volcano information or to activity reports. The search results page lists the volcano name, volcano type and the volcanic sub‐region.
Quite detailed information is found in each entry. The basic results page would provide sufficient information for both novices and students. For those who want more information, buttons link researchers to volcano information, synonyms and sub‐features, eruptive history (basic and detailed), data sources (references from which the information is taken), activity reports, maps, and regional information (to search for other volcanoes within the same region). This feature makes this database an excellent tool for all types of users. One‐line summaries present brief descriptions of each volcano thought to have been active in the last 10,000 years (the Holocene period). This list can be sorted geographically or alphabetically. Included are the volcano number, name, location, latitude and longitude, elevation (in metres), type, status and time frame (time period of last known eruption). The only problem is that it is simply a list – I would have liked to link from this list to the information given in the “search by location” or “search by name” features, especially the photographs. A minor point, but one that would enhance this listing.
The last access point is by large Holocene eruptions. This limits the database to volcanoes that have a Volcanic Explosive Index (VEI) of four or larger. Provided are the name of the volcano, sub‐region, date (whether corrected or not) as well as the VEI. Clicking on the volcanic name links to detailed information on the eruptive history of the volcano. This list can also be sorted by reverse chronological order (most recent to oldest), a nice feature.
Volcanoes of the World is highly recommended. The fact that this superb resource can be used by both students and experienced researchers only enhances the features of this database.
