Cooling the Lava -- John McPhee

 

In order to enhance your "reading experience" and to provide fodder for our discussion ....I'd like you to take some notes as you read Cooling the Lava and do some thinking about what McPhee reports. These sheets are due at the beginning of class on Monday.

 

1. What is the primary geologic process which McPhee describes?

 

2. What are the tectonic environments of the two areas McPhee considers in most detail?

 

3. What are 3 specific hazards facing the people of Heimaey and how are they related to specific geologic processes?

 

 

4. What are the hazard reduction process taken by the Icelanders? How do these processes compare to those taken by the Hawaiians. Explain how these different reduction procedures work.

 

 

5. What aspects of the writing confused you? Write a question below pertaining to some part of the essay (geologic or social) that you didn't understand?