Volcano

:This article is about volcanoes. For the action movie, see Volcano (movie). For other meanings of the word eruption, see eruption (disambiguation)

Past beliefs

Before it was understood that most of the Earth's interior is molten, various explanations existed for volcano behavior. For decades after awareness that compression and radioactive materials may be heat sources, their contributions were specifically discounted. Volcanic action was often attributed to chemical reactions and a thin layer of molten rock near the surface.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), witnessed eruptions of Aetna and Stromboli, then visited the crater of Vesuvius and published his view of an Earth with a central fire connected to numerous others caused by the burning of sulfur, bitumen and coal.

Related Topics:
Jesuit - Athanasius Kircher - Aetna - Stromboli - Vesuvius - Sulfur - Bitumen - Coal

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~