This volume aims at providing answers to some puzzling questions concerning the formation and the behavior of collapse calderas by exploring our current understanding of these complex geological processes. Addressed are problems such as:
- How do collapse calderas form?
- What are the conditions to create fractures and slip along them to initiate caldera collapse and when are these conditions fulfilled?
- How do these conditions relate to explosive volcanism?
- Most products of large caldera-forming eruptions show evidence for pre-eruptive reheating. Is this a pre-requisite to produce large volume eruptions and large calderas?
- What are the time-scales behind caldera processes?
- How long does it take magma to reach conditions ripe enough to generate a caldera-forming eruption?
- What is the mechanical behavior of magma chamber walls during caldera collapse? Elastic, viscoelastic, or rigid?
- Do calderas form by underpressure following a certain level of magma withdrawal from a reservoir, or by magma chamber loading due to deep doming (underplating), or both?
- How to interpret unrest signals in active caldera systems?
- How can we use information from caldera monitoring to forecast volcanic phenomena?
In the form of 14 contributions from various disciplines this book samples the state-of-the-art of caldera studies and identifies still unresolved key issues that need dedicated cross-boundary and multidisciplinary efforts in the years to come.
* International contributions from leading experts
* Updates and informs on all the latest developments
* Highlights hot topic areas and indentifies and analyses unresolved key issues

Volcanoes and the Environment is a comprehensive and accessible text incorporating contributions from some of the world's authorities in volcanology. This book is an indispensable guide for those interested in how volcanism affects our planet's environment. It spans a wide variety of topics from geology to climatology and ecology; it also considers the economic and social impacts of volcanic activity on humans. Topics covered include how volcanoes shape the environment, their effect on the geological cycle, atmosphere and climate, impacts on health of living on active volcanoes, volcanism and early life, effects of eruptions on plant and animal life, large eruptions and mass extinctions, and the impact of volcanic disasters on the economy. This book is intended for students and researchers interested in environmental change from the fields of earth and environmental science, geography, ecology and social science. It will also interest policy makers and professionals working on natural hazards.

This informative book takes readers on an enjoyable journey through the La Garrotxa volcanoes. In addition to a general description of the main geological and volcano logical values of the region, it also provides a detailed account of the history of the region, its biological diversity, and its cultural heritage including architecture, folklore and gastronomy. La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone was declared a Natural Park in 1982 to protect the numerous sites of special interest that are found in this region. The Natural Park has been pioneering in many initiatives aimed at preserving the landscape and natural values and promoting awareness of the area within the community. An important part of this book is dedicated to the insights into the educational programs and outreach developed to disseminate the main values of this region. It shows how sustainable tourism has been implemented and the management plan that has been designed to preserve such important natural and cultural values. Including local experts' views on the topics covered, this book will appeal to a general audience interested not only in visiting the area but also in gaining insights into an example of geoheritage and geoconservation that has successfully integrated of education, tourism, planning and environmental management.

The two-volume set LNCS 4477 and 4478 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third Iberian Conference on Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis, IbPRIA 2007, held in Girona, Spain in June 2007.

The 48 revised full papers and 108 revised poster papers presented together with 3 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 328 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on pattern recognition, human language technology, special architectures and industrial applications, motion analysis, image analysis, biomedical applications, shape and texture analysis, 3D, as well as image coding and processing.

The two-volume set LNCS 4477 and 4478 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third Iberian Conference on Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis, IbPRIA 2007, held in Girona, Spain in June 2007.

The 48 revised full papers and 108 revised poster papers presented together with 3 invited talks were carefully reviewed and selected from 328 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on pattern recognition, human language technology, special architectures and industrial applications, motion analysis, image analysis, biomedical applications, shape and texture analysis, 3D, as well as image coding and processing.