Vesuvius is one of the only active volcanoes in Europe, and is also the producer of some of Europe's largest volcanic eruptions. It is located on the west coast of Italy, overlooking the city of Naples, and rests in the crater of the Somma volcano. Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. This subduction zone stretches the length of the Italian peninsula, and is also the source of other volcanoes like Mount Etna, the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), Vulcano, and Stromboli. Under Vesuvius, the lower part of the subducting slab has torn and detached from the upper part to form what is called a "slab window". This makes Vesuvius' rocks slightly different chemically from the rocks erupted from the other Campanian volcanoes.
Disaster of 79 AD
There have been 8 major eruptions in the past 17,000 years. Vesuvius' most memorable eruption was during 79 AD which destroyed the Roman city of pompeii. The volcano still presents a great danger to the surrounding cites, even though its last eruption was in 1944. The main reason that the citizens of Pompeii didn't evacuate the city before the eruption was that they didn't know it as a volcano, in fact, the latin language does not have a word for 'volcano.' Vesuvius gave a few warnings signs that there was volcanic activity occuring: there was a stinging smell wafting down from the mountaintop, the extreme heat underground from built up magma dried up streams, cattle had been found dead on the volcano, their lungs seared by poisonous gases, and the town had been hit by a series of jolts, signalling the instability of the land. When the eruption finally occured, people had no idea what it was, obviously most of the population fled immediately with the animals, but some chose to stay behind to guard their homes and businesses. The intense amount of heat transformed millions of tons of rocks into superheated foam. The plume is shot 12 miles into the sky and when it reaches the freezing air of the lower atmosphere, the magma solidifies into pumice, small pebbles, and being carried by the wind, showers down over Pompeii.Many believed that it would end after a short while because they thought it was a punishment from the gods. Crime rates were very high in Pompeii, an unattended store or home will quickly be ransacked by thieves.
Ever since 1631, Vesuvius has experienced steady volcanic activity which include eruptions of mud and ash and sudden lava flows.
The main reason for Vesuvius' unpredictable volcanic activity, the existence of andesite lava creates a variety of explosive eruptions. Strombolian eruptions, lava flows, flank fissures and Plinian eruptions have all been recorded.
Disaster of 79 AD
There have been 8 major eruptions in the past 17,000 years. Vesuvius' most memorable eruption was during 79 AD which destroyed the Roman city of pompeii. The volcano still presents a great danger to the surrounding cites, even though its last eruption was in 1944. The main reason that the citizens of Pompeii didn't evacuate the city before the eruption was that they didn't know it as a volcano, in fact, the latin language does not have a word for 'volcano.' Vesuvius gave a few warnings signs that there was volcanic activity occuring: there was a stinging smell wafting down from the mountaintop, the extreme heat underground from built up magma dried up streams, cattle had been found dead on the volcano, their lungs seared by poisonous gases, and the town had been hit by a series of jolts, signalling the instability of the land. When the eruption finally occured, people had no idea what it was, obviously most of the population fled immediately with the animals, but some chose to stay behind to guard their homes and businesses. The intense amount of heat transformed millions of tons of rocks into superheated foam. The plume is shot 12 miles into the sky and when it reaches the freezing air of the lower atmosphere, the magma solidifies into pumice, small pebbles, and being carried by the wind, showers down over Pompeii.Many believed that it would end after a short while because they thought it was a punishment from the gods. Crime rates were very high in Pompeii, an unattended store or home will quickly be ransacked by thieves.
Ever since 1631, Vesuvius has experienced steady volcanic activity which include eruptions of mud and ash and sudden lava flows.
The main reason for Vesuvius' unpredictable volcanic activity, the existence of andesite lava creates a variety of explosive eruptions. Strombolian eruptions, lava flows, flank fissures and Plinian eruptions have all been recorded.
![Picture](/uploads/5/8/1/0/5810162/830031.jpg?1378091572)
This is a simplified plate tectonics cross-section showing how Mount Vesuvius is located
above a subduction zone formed where the African plate descends beneath Italy.
above a subduction zone formed where the African plate descends beneath Italy.