Mountain of Fire

Take a trip around the world (and beyond) to discover the science, myths and stories behind iconic volcanoes.

Krakatoa. Kilimanjaro. Vesuvius. The destructive power of volcanoes has claimed more than 250,000 lives since the beginning of civilization. Whether as objects of worship or of terror, they have shaped our world and fed the human imagination. And they can be found just about everywhere, from ancient Pompeii to the geysers of Yellowstone to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and the surface of Jupiter. Teaming up with award-winning illustrator Aless MC, volcanologist Julie Roberge takes us on a journey to the heart of the earth to discover the most famous of these geological monsters.

Julie Roberge has been studying volcanoes around the world for over 25 years. Nicknamed the "Ash Hunter," she is originally from Nicolet, Quebec, and is a professor and research scientist at the Polytechnic School of Mexico (Instituto Politécnico Nacional). She did her bachelor's degree in geology at the University of Montreal, her master's degree at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi and her doctorate at the University of Oregon. Julie has been collecting rocks since she was young and it was the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 that ignited her passion for volcanoes. Today she hunts the ashes of erupting volcanoes to look for magmatic inclusions, small balls of magma caught inside crystals that go from 1200 to 25 degrees Celsius to become glass droplets during an eruption.
Aless MC is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). Her practice is based on communicating ideas in a simple and colorful way. Aless is inspired by traditional printing techniques, Franco-Belgian manga and comic strips, and also forms in nature and symbols in culture.