No Apparent Danger: the True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz.

Victoria Bruce. Documenting the events surrounding the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz and the 1993 eruption of Galeras, both volcanoes in Colombia, Bruce reveals continuing controversy. The issue is that scientists had forewarnings of the disasters, but these signs went unheeded by either societies in denial, politicians unwilling to take action, or scientists driven by egoism. The precedent of scientific and political blunders is established in the first section of the book, where Bruce tells of the disastrous 1985 eruption and the possibly avoidable deaths of 23,000 people. The second part describes the ironic twist of history repeating itself in the 1993 disaster, which killed nine people. Volcano scientists from all over the world happened to convene near Galeras within a week of the eruption, and several of them discussed indicators of a possible eruption. Stanley Williams, a chemist specializing in volcanic emissions, failed to recognize these warnings and led an expedition of scientists and sightseers into Galeras the very day it erupted. Williams, in fact, has released a book giving his perspective on that fateful day. Bruce's book sheds light on the world of volcanology, complete with its practitioners' mistakes and acts of heroism. HarpC, 2001, 239 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $26.00.