Mount Vesuvius:
Mt. Vesuvius Basics
Mt. Vesuvius is a volcano that erupted on August 24 A.D. 79 blanketing the towns and 1000s of residents of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. Pompeii was buried 10' deep, while Herculaneum was buried under 75' of ash. This volcanic eruption is the first to be described in detail. The letter-writing Pliny the Younger was stationed about 18 miles away in Misenum from which vantage point he could see the eruption and feel the preceding earthquakes. His uncle, the naturalist Pliny the Elder, was in charge of warships in the area, but he turned his fleet to rescuing residents and died.
Importance of Mt. Vesuvius for History:
Eruptions of Mt. Vesuvius:
Precursors and the Eruption of the Vesuvius Volcano in A.D. 79:
Vesuvius' Type of Volcano :
Named after the naturalist Pliny, the type of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius is referred to as "Plinian." In such an eruption a column of various materials (called tephra) is ejected into the atmosphere, creating what looks like a mushroom cloud (or, perhaps, pine tree). Mt. Vesuvius' column is projected to have reached about 66,000' in height. Ash and pumice spread by the winds rained for about 18 hours. Buildings started to collapse and people began to escape. Then came high temperature, high velocity gases and dust, and more seismic activity.
First written November 2006, by N.S. Gill. Updated 2008.
Online Sources on Mt. Vesuvius:
- Volcanic Phenomena at Pompeii
- Pompeii
- [<volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_vesuvius.html>Vesuvius Italy]
- The 79 AD Eruption of Vesuvius
