It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. The only other two such volcanoes in Italy Etna and Stromboli are located on islands. Vesuvius is on the coast of the Bay of Naples, about nine kilometres six miles east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is conspicuous in the beautiful landscape presented by the Bay of Naples, when seen from the sea, with Naples in the foreground.
Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in A. It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,, people now living close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions.
In the time of the early Roman Empire, 20, people lived in Pompeii, including merchants, manufacturers, and farmers who exploited the rich soil of the region with numerous vineyards and orchards.
None suspected that the black fertile earth was the legacy of earlier eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. Herculaneum was a city of 5, and a favorite summer destination for rich Romans.
Named for the mythic hero Hercules , Herculaneum housed opulent villas and grand Roman baths. Gambling artifacts found in Herculaneum and a brothel unearthed in Pompeii attest to the decadent nature of the cities.
There were smaller resort communities in the area as well, such as the quiet little town of Stabiae. At noon on August 24, 79 A. Some 2, people stayed in Pompeii, holed up in cellars or stone structures, hoping to wait out the eruption. A westerly wind protected Herculaneum from the initial stage of the eruption, but then a giant cloud of hot ash and gas surged down the western flank of Vesuvius, engulfing the city and burning or asphyxiating all who remained.
This lethal cloud was followed by a flood of volcanic mud and rock, burying the city. The people who remained in Pompeii were killed on the morning of August 25 when a cloud of toxic gas poured into the city, suffocating all that remained.
A flow of rock and ash followed, collapsing roofs and walls and burying the dead. Much of what we know about the eruption comes from an account by Pliny the Younger, who was staying west along the Bay of Naples when Vesuvius exploded. Some bewailed their own fate. Others prayed to die. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, was less lucky. Pliny the Elder, a celebrated naturalist, at the time of the eruption was the commander of the Roman fleet in the Bay of Naples. After Vesuvius exploded, he took his boats across the bay to Stabiae, to investigate the eruption and reassure terrified citizens.
After going ashore, he was overcome by toxic gas and died. Pompeii was buried under 14 to 17 feet of ash and pumice, and the nearby seacoast was drastically changed. Herculaneum was buried under more than 60 feet of mud and volcanic material. Some residents of Pompeii later returned to dig out their destroyed homes and salvage their valuables, but many treasures were left and then forgotten.
Archaeologists have long debated whether the mountain actually erupted on August This decorative stonework records the damage caused by an earlier earthquake, perhaps the earthquake of 62 A. Copyrighted photograph of Robert Decker.
The 79 A. From 18 miles 30 km west of the volcano, Pliny the Younger, witnessed the eruption and later recorded his observations in two letters. He described the earthquakes before the eruption, the eruption column, air fall, the effects of the eruption on people, pyroclastic flows, and even tsunami.
Volcanologists now use the term "plinian" to refer to sustained explosive eruptions which generate high-altitude eruption columns and blanket large areas with ash. It is estimated that at times during the eruption the column of ash was 20 miles 32 km tall. About 1 cubic mile 4 cubic kilometers of ash was erupted in about 19 hours.
Volcanoes by Peter Francis contains several direct passages from Pliny the Younger and describes the archeology of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Copyrighted photograph of a street in Pompeii by Robert Decker, Vesuvius is in the background.
About 10 feet 3 m of tephra fell on Pompeii, burying everything except the roofs of some buildings. The city was abandoned and its location forgotten. In , excavations discovered artifacts at Pompeii and centuries of pillaging followed. Archeological excavations began in the mid-nineteenth century. Now, much of Pompeii has been excavated and it has revealed much about how people lived during that time and died during the eruption.
There are numerous molds of people in their final moments. The mold of a dog is shown in the above photo. The poor animal was chained to a post and struggled for hours before finally succumbing to the ash.
Herculaneum was buried under 75 feet 23 m of ash deposited by a pyroclastic flow. This photo shows buildings that were near the waterfront. Herculaneum, once a seaside resort, is now surrounded by the modern city of Ercolano.
About 5, people lived in the city at the time of the eruption. Click here to see older drawings of Vesuvius. Vesuvius has erupted about three dozen times since 79 A. The eruption is thought to be the end of an eruptive cycle that began in Click here to see postcards that show early episodes of the eruption.
The rocks at Vesuvius are called tephrite. A tephrite is basaltic in character and contains the following minerals: calcic plagioclase, augite, and nepheline or leucite. Vesuvius is a dangerous and deadly volcano.
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