For general readers or seasoned geologists, _Fire Mountains of the West_ begins with an introduction to volcanoes, the processes that create them, and the glaciers that sculpt them. The heart of the book is a fascinating biography of each of the major volcanoes of the Cascades and Mono Lake area. Dramatic photographs and illuminating maps and diagrams illustrate the visible features and hidden activity of volcanoes. From the subterranean lava tube caves of the Medicine Lake volcano to the fire-and-ice formation of Mount Garibaldi, from the cataclysmic collapse of Crater Lake to the incinerating blast of modern Mount St. Helens, and from deadly volcanic gas presently killing trees at Mammoth Mountain to massive mudflows waiting to burst from Mount Rainier, this book brings to life in dynamic language the geologic story of our western mountainscapes. Includes 27 color photographs, 79 black-and-white photographs, bibliography, glossary, and index.