Journal article
Maar stories: how oral traditions aid understanding of maar volcanism and associated phenomena during pre-literate times
Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Vol.109(5), pp.1618-1631
2019
Abstract
Ancient stories recalling catastrophic events were developed, sometimes encoded in myth, and passed down across several millennia in largely oral contexts. Volcanism is well suited to such stories and there are examples of extant stories recalling eruptions that occurred several millennia ago. This study focuses on a subset of these stories-those that recall the formation and subsequent (hazard-related) manifestations of maar volcanoes. Because these form as a result of the mixing of magma and groundwater, which produces explosive phreatomagmatic eruptions, they are among the most memorable catastrophic volcanic phenomena. Ancient stories recalling maar formation are known from Australia where cultural isolation for most of the past 65,000 years explains the extraordinary longevity and replication fidelity of such stories. Stories referring to the postformation developments of maars from Lake Albano in Italy are also described, together with less readily interpreted stories from elsewhere. Motif analysis suggests that preliterate peoples incorporated their observations of maar formation into stories as the shrieks of birds (escaping gas) and the approach of demons (eruptions), as well as narrative details such as the sky turning red and the ground surface twisting and cracking. Motifs referring to posteruption activity at maars include those that recall craters filling with water and ones that recall associated breaches of crater rims, lahars, and flooding downslope. The existence of maar stories of the kinds described and their demonstrable potential for adding detail and explanation to particular events several millennia ago should encourage geographers to treat such information sources with more respect than has been customary.
Details
- Title
- Maar stories: how oral traditions aid understanding of maar volcanism and associated phenomena during pre-literate times
- Authors
- Patrick Nunn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social SciencesLoredana Lancini (Author) - University of Le Mans, FranceLeigh Franks (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social SciencesRita Compatangelo-Soussignan (Author) - University of Le Mans, FranceAdrian B McCallum (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social Sciences
- Publication details
- Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Vol.109(5), pp.1618-1631
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1080/24694452.2019.1574550
- ISSN
- 1467-8306; 2469-4452
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451458902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
407 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Geography
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites