Rivers of molten rock obliterating all in their path, earth tremors, toxic gases and a pall of smoke spreading across the skies – volcanoes and their devastating effects have been shrouded in legend since the dawn of time.

Once thought to be outpourings from Hell or the work of other superhuman forces, these extraordinary geological phenomena are now more clearly understood, thanks to the efforts of generations of vulcanologists, who have dared to approach Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli, Mount St Helens or Cotopaxi.

Maurice Krafft, a world expert on volcanoes, completed this arresting study shortly before his death in the Mount Unzen eruption.

Also of interest
The Red Volcanoes: Face to Face with the Mountains of Fire