Knowledge explosions: the evolution of ideas in volcanology in Western Europe from 1750–1925 and impacts on current practice

In this paper we explore some of the ways in which ideas on and around volcanic activity developed from the mid-18 th to early-20 th Centuries in western Europe. We focus on arguments around concepts relating to the formation of volcanic mountains and processes of eruption, and draw on the modes of analysis, the types of observers and the influence of particular eruptions to explore influences on trajectories of understanding. With the context of the tercentenary of the birth of James Hutton (1726–1797), we explore the intersections between studies of vulcanicity, and emerging theories of the workings of Earth's interior. We reflect on how western European knowledge traditions and practices affected developments in volcanology, and its relation to other fields of science and geology, with particular reference to outputs in the English language.