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Mountains of Fire review: What volcanoes can teach us about ourselves

Clive Oppenheimer's intrepid scientific memoir not only takes us to the crater's edge, it shows how seriously the volcanologist takes the mystical meanings volcanoes hold for those who live nearby

By James Dinneen

30 August 2023

BOYOLALI, INDONESIA - MARCH 11: A motorcyclist wearing a mask rides past in an area covered by ash after Mount Merapi erupted spewing volcanic materials at Stabelan village on March 11, 2023 in Boyolali, Central Java, Indonesia. Mount Merapi, 2,968 metres high, is known as one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, with an eruption occurring every two to five years. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images) — Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, which erupted earlier this year
Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Mountains of Fire
Clive Oppenheimer (Hodder & Stoughton)

IF YOU are one of the billion or so people who live within 80 kilometres of an active volcano, the chances are that you have wondered what an eruption might mean for you. Volcanic eruptions can be disastrous for communities in the immediate vicinity. Very large ones can also be disastrous for the planet, as ash and gas from Earth’s innards encircle the stratosphere, cooling or, as in the case of the 2022 eruption of …

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