Des Volcans et des Hommes

Witnesses of a world in formation, volcanoes have long aroused beliefs and superstitions. Manifestations of the wrath of the gods in some civilizations, celebrated on the contrary as a source of life and sign of divine clemency, as in Indonesia, they accompany the history of men since their first steps. If eruptive activity is less present in memories, it remains at the heart of scientists' concerns. We now know how volcanoes work and we know better their sometimes unexpected effects. Since 1980, the great eruptions, those of Piton de la Fournaise, Kilauea, Pinatubo or Rabaul, have changed our attitude towards volcanic risks, each having brought its share of experience and knowledge. It is sometimes possible to limit the damage by equipping the mountains, valleys or threatened cities. But if volcanoes no longer kill as they did a hundred years ago, they remain a threat to our modern societies. Philippe Bourseiller visited, accompanied by Jacques Durieux, all the major volcanic sites on the planet, from Iceland to Hawaii, from Indonesia to Reunion Island, from Vanuatu to the African Rift, from Mexico to Ecuador! His photographs tell a story that began with the beginning of the world: craters, solfatares, mud pots, lava fields, fumaroles. Volcanoes are the spectacle of our dynamic Earth, at the origin of many landscapes, often representative of a primordial nature.
source: www.ammareal.fr