Haraldur Sigurdsson

Haraldur Sigurðsson (born May 31, 1939) is an Icelandic volcanologist and geochemist. Sigurðsson studied geology and geochemistry in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a Bachelors degree from Queen's University, Belfast, followed by a Ph.D. degree from the University of Durham in 1970.^[1] He worked on monitoring and research of the volcanoes of the Caribbean until 1974, when he was appointed professor at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island. He is best known for his work on the reconstruction of major volcanic eruptions of the past, including the eruption of Vesuvius in Italy in AD 79 and the consequent destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In 1991 he discovered tektite glass spherules at the Cretaceous/Tertiary K–T boundary in Haiti, providing proof for a meteorite impact at the time of the extinction of the dinosaurs.^[2] In 2004 he discovered the lost town of Tambora in Indonesia, which was buried by the colossal 1815 explosive eruption of Tambora volcano.^[3][4] In 1999, Haraldur Sigurdsson published a scholarly account of the history of volcanology.^[5] He was also editor in chief of the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes,^[6] also published in 1999. He was awarded the Coke Medal of the Geological Society of London in 2004.^[7]

Publications

• Jordan, Benjamin R.; Haraldur Sigurdsson, and Steven Carey (2008). Ignimbrites in Central America and Associated Caribbean Sea Tephra: Correlation and Petrogenesis. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller. pp. 224. ISBN 978-3639108316. ^[8]
• Haraldur Sigurdsson and Steven Carey (1990). Caribbean volcanoes a field guide. Open Library. pp. 107. ^[9]
• H. Sigurdsson and W.C. Evans (1987). Lake Nyos revisited:: a preliminary report. pp. 7. ^[10]
• Haraldur Sigursson and Paolo Laj (1990). Sulfur mass loading of the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions:: calibration of the ice core record on basis of sulfate aerosol deposition in polar regions from the 1982 El Chichon eruption, NASA grant NAG51304. Narragansett, RI, [Washington, DC, Springfield, Va: University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Technical Information Service. ^[10]
• Sigurdsson, Haraldur (1999). Melting the Earth:: the history of ideas on volcanic eruptions. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 260. ISBN 0195106652. ^[10]
• Haraldur Sigurdsson and Steven Carey (2008). Volcanoes and the Environment:: Exploring the Earth System. Academic Press. pp. 450. ISBN 9780126431414. ^[10]

References

1. ^ home page of Haraldur Sigurdsson at University of Rhode Island
2. ^ Sigurdsson, Haraldur; Steven D'Hondt, Michael A. Arthur, Timothy J. Bralower, James C. Zachos, Mickey van Fossen and James E. T. Channel (7 February 1991). "Glass from the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in Haiti". Nature 349 (6309): 482–487. doi:10.1038/349482a0. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v349/n6309/abs/349482a0.html. 
3. ^ 'Pompeii of the East' discovered BBC
4. ^ Sigurdsson, H., and Carey, S. (1989). "Plinian and Co-Igmibrite Tephra Fall from the 1815 Eruption of Tambora Volcano". Bulletin of Volcanology 51 (4): 243–270. doi:10.1007/BF01073515. 
5. ^ Sigurdsson, Haraldur (1999). Melting the Earth:: the history of ideas on volcanic eruptions. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 260. ISBN 0195106652. 
6. ^ Haraldur Sigurdsson, Bruce Houghton, Hazel Rymer, John Stix, Steve McNutt, ed (1999). Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 1417. ISBN 978-0126431407. http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Volcanoes-Bruce-Houghton/dp/012643140X#noop. 
7. ^ http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/society/history/page2983.html, retrieved 06/07/2009
8. ^ Amazon
9. ^ Open Library
10. ^ ^{a b c d} http://openlibrary.org/a/OL225768A/Haraldur-Sigurdsson