Volcanic Destruction: 11 Geological Maps of Volcanoes

It's not always obvious what it is that scientists find beautiful about a graph, microscope slide, soil sample or some other aspect of their work.

It just looks like numbers, blobs or dirt to the rest of us but sometimes a scientific result or product is so visually appealing, anyone would want to hang it on their wall as art.

Geological maps are often in this category. And some of the most beautiful geological maps are of volcanoes.

The colours on geological maps represent different rock units of different ages.

With an active lifespan of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, volcanoes produce many layers of ash and flows of lava that will end up as different colours on the map and with the circular shape of many volcanoes and the radiating rock units, the maps can really be striking.

Wired has collected some excellent examples of geological maps of volcanoes from the United States and Japan. You don't have to be a geologist or even a scientist to have trouble picking a favourite.

Check them all out on their website here