ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The scale of impacts from volcanic events is quite variable, but many volcanoes have created total destruction over huge areas. The book srepresents a significant shift away from the simplistic black and white question of whether disasters have played an important role in human history. The focus of attention should move away from failure and collapse in the face of geological disasters to human resilience and creativity. The book shows the importance and resulting value of cross-disciplinary collaborations in the study of natural disasters, in general, and volcanic events, in particular. Natural disasters are a major concern for modern society because their incidence and resulting mortalities are steadily rising. Volcanoes are especially dangerous hazards because, without extensive modern scientific research and monitoring, they are highly unpredictable.
