Volcanology is the study of volcanoes and other geological upheavals. Through the processes of continental drift and magma upheaval, mountain ranges have risen and fallen like tides of stone throughout the centuries, and an understanding of how these processes affect the environment and our lives will better prepare us for their activities, and possibly open the door for untold riches in the fields of energy productions and mineralogy, as the heat and molten rock brought from the earth's mantle could generate electricity for thousands of years, and the valuable metals dissolved in the magma might supply our needs for metals and mineral elements will into the coming century.
Here are some pictures from Washington State's own active volcano, Mt. St. Helens, from before and during the May 18th eruption back in 1980.
