ABSTRACT
Most catastrophic volcanic eruptions are also sudden and dramatic events that, like earthquakes, can take a very high toll of human life and result in very widespread destruction. This chapter demonstrates that seismic and volcanic disasters have provided some of the fundamental physical, technological and social research in the field of natural catastrophes – work that has often been a model for studies of other hazardous natural agents and their effects. More than 3,000 perceptible earthquakes occur each year. Perhaps only 7 to 11 of these will involve significant loss of life, but the combined average annual death toll may exceed 10,000. In fact, the loss of life in extreme earthquakes may be more than ten times that caused by extreme volcanic eruptions. Many small to moderate earthquakes have been provoked by the superpowers' programmes of nuclear testing, and hence the size of the international seismic network also reflects investment in intelligence work designed to monitor such trials.
