Page 11 - Fundamentals of Physical Volcanology

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Acknowledgments

EAP: This book developed out of an undergraduate financial, needed to make the completion of this
course that I taught for a number of years at the book possible.
University of Leeds. That course benefited from and
evolved due to the feedback of the students who LW: When my co-author suggested that we collab-
took it, and I thank them all for their enthusiasm. orate on this book I was very happy to agree, as I
A number of colleagues at Leeds – Joe Cann, Sue have devoted most of my time since 1968 to under-
Bowler, Jane Francis, Mike Leeder and Pete Baker – standing the physics of volcanic processes. During
offered their time and thoughts to that course and I that year, while I was working on a pre-Apollo study
thank them very much for their input and support. of the mechanical structure of the surface of the
My knowledge of Strombolian activity was greatly Moon, we began to get spacecraft images showing
improved by a trip to Stromboli with staff and very long lava flows in the lunar mare areas, and in
students at Leeds, and I thank Jurgen Neuberg, an effort to learn more about lava eruptions I visited
Graham Stuart and Roger Clark for taking me along the eminent British volcanologist George Walker,
with them. Much of the writing of the book took then at Imperial College London, to ask what was
place while I was working at the State University known about the physics of eruptions. George
of New York at Buffalo, and I thank Marcus Bursik, patiently, and with some amusement, explained to
Tracy Gregg and Mike Sheridan for discussions me just how little was known about this subject at

and ideas shared during that time. Nigel Burrows that time, and by the end of my visit my career path
offered invaluable help converting my many old was decided. My interest in the Moon remained,
slides to digital format. This book would never have and broadened as spacecraft visited other solar
been finished without the treatment I received system objects. Indeed, the study of how planetary
from the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service at environments control the boundary conditions
Ysbyty Eryri, Caernarfon: a huge thank you to (e.g., acceleration due to gravity, atmospheric pres-
Dr Helen Lyon Jones, Marian Townsend, Anne sure) under which volcanoes operate has been a
the nutritionist and Dr Paul Nickson for their de- major source of ideas. An equally important source
dication and encouragement. Many thanks to my of inspiration for me has been my interaction with
mother for the constant nagging to get this book the more than 30 graduate students who have
finished, and for the belief that it could be done. To worked with me on volcanic topics over the last 35
my son, James, a big thank you for putting up with years. I must also thank my immediate colleagues
my hours at the computer. Most of all to David, who at Lancaster, Harry Pinkerton, Steve Lane, Jennie
always reminded me of the importance of punctua- Gilbert and Ray MacDonald, for their unfailing
tion and who enthusiastically applied red ink to willingness to enlighten a mere physicist on the
the many drafts of this book, my innumerable finer points of geology and geochemistry, and I
thanks for providing the support, emotional and am indebted to the numerous other scientists with