Review of the book – “Fire and Ice Volcanoes of the Solar system” by Natalie Starkey

By Radim Stano

After seeing the fantastic talk – “Fire & Ice: The Volcanoes of the Solar System” given by Natalie Starkey, we had some time ago I knew I just needed to know more about volcanoes and the order to get her book was placed soon after the talk! If you have missed the talk, follow the link above and see it for yourself. It is definitely worth the time.

The book guided me through the interior of the Earth, simply explaining the inner working and composition of our planet with a lot of comparisons easing the understanding. Step by step it painted the picture of the creation of the solar system with all the complicated implications it has had on planets and moons. I got to know more, not only about volcanoes but about everything that makes the planet active, like plate tectonics, deep ocean ridges and vents, and various volcanic types or geysers. It was an excursion to the past and future of the planetary body. All the things found on Earth were compared to the other planets and moons, diving deep into the long process of warming and cooling planets, moons and their causes, predictions and magnetic fields. And as this book is primarily about volcanoes, it taught me about various magma types, the composition of the magma, geology, the biggest volcanoes and more interestingly about cryovolcanoes, where the magma is made of ice! And it did not omit my favourite topic of life in space and had a look at the creation of a habitable environment and how the volcanoes may have helped life on Earth and other places in the Solar system.

Of course there’s much more in the book, which is nicely written and well-structured, taking you through various topics like an excursion. It is very readable in understandable English. I recommend this book to the wide audience of our Society 😊

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