Vesuvius is at a convergent boundary where the African plate is being subducted meaning one tectonic plate is moving under another. This region is known among geologists as the Roman Comagmatic Province and extends along the Tyrrhenian coast, from the Vulsini area in northern Latium to Vesuvius in the south. In north Latium the volcanic activity became largely extinct about one hundred thousand years ago, but the Romans have ever since enjoyed the beautiful volcanic landscape created by this activity, such as the scenic Lake Bolsena in the caldera of Vulsini volcano, and Lake Vico.
Further south, however, in the Campanian volcanic region, activity has continued up to the present day, as recorded in legend, history, and in the volcanic stratigraphy of Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields. The image on the right shows the mold of one of a group of huts found partially buried, its interior, including pottery, perfectly preserved, dated to b2k. The image on the right shows fossil footprints in the surge ash deposit of the Avellino eruption.
The first eruption, in August 24, 79 A. Vesuvius even before it erupted. Before this historic eruption, toxic fumes covered Pompeii. The citizens of Pompeii had no idea what was happening. Ashfalls forced buildings to collapse, pumices crashed into property, and lahars wiped out its captives. Pliny the Elder, admiral of the Roman fleet, is one of Mt. Vesuvius's captives as well as many other residents in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Pliny the Younger, who is Pliny the Elder's nephew and an author, recorded this eruption in Cape Misenum, 20 km away from Mt. Vesuvius is still burning". More than years later, Galenus's hypothesis is proven correct; two eruptions are reported in November 6, and date unknown.
Before the eruption, people near the volcano felt some earthquakes. They weren't that scared because earthquakes were common in that town. Share this: Click to share on Twitter Opens in new window Click to share on Facebook Opens in new window Click to share on Reddit Opens in new window Click to print Opens in new window Click to email this to a friend Opens in new window.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The unfortunate people suffocated on ash in the air, which then covered them and preserved amazing details of their clothing and faces. Starting in , Vesuvius entered a period of steady volcanic activity, including lava flows and eruptions of ash and mud. Violent eruptions in the late s, s and early s created more fissures, lava flows, and ash-and-gas explosions.
These damaged or destroyed many towns around the volcano, and sometimes killed people; the eruption of had more than casualties. The most recent eruption was in during World War II. It caused major problems for the newly-arrived Allied forces in Italy when ash and rocks from the eruption destroyed planes and forced evacuations at a nearby airbase.
Her concentration is in volcanology, and she is currently researching lava dome collapses and pyroclastic flows. She also writes the Magma Cum Laude blog , and in what spare time she has left, she enjoys rock climbing and playing various stringed instruments. Simplified plate tectonics cross-section Simplified plate tectonics cross-section showing how Mount Vesuvius is located above a subduction zone formed where the African plate descends beneath Italy.
Map: Where is Vesuvius? Plaster casts: Victims of the 79 A. Ruins at the ancient city of Pompeii Brick columns stand among ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. Did You Know? The 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius is why volcanologists use "Plinian" to describe large volcanic eruption clouds.
Pliny the Younger, a Roman historian who witnessed the 79 AD eruption, wrote the oldest surviving description of the tall, tree-shaped cloud that rose above the volcano. Modern volcanologists use the term to describe large-volume, violent eruptions that produce quickly-expanding clouds of rock, ash and gases which rise many miles into the atmosphere. Some more recent examples of Plinian eruptions include Mount St. Helens in and Pinatubo in Reconstruction was being carried out on several temples and public buildings.
Seneca, a historian, recorded that the quakes lasted for several days and also heavily damaged the town of Herculaneum and did minor damage to the city of Naples before subsiding. The major quake was followed by several minor shakes throughout the following years.
Because seismic activity was so common in the area, citizens paid little attention in early August of 79 when several quakes shook the earth beneath Herculaneum and Pompeii. People were unprepared for the explosion that took place shortly after noon on the 24th of August.
Around 2, residents survived the first blast. Pliny the Elder , a Roman author, described the massive debris cloud. Like a very high tree the cloud went high and expanded in different branches … sometimes white, sometimes dark and stained by the sustained sand and ashes. Shortly after midnight, a wall of volcanic mud engulfed the town of Herculaneum, obliterating the town as its citizens fled toward Pompeii. About a. Most victims died instantly as the superheated air burned their lungs and contracted their muscles, leaving the bodies in a semi-curled position to be quickly buried in ash and thus preserved in detail for hundreds of years.
Far away in Misenum, approximately 13 miles 21 kilometers from Pompeii, Pliny the Younger , the year-old nephew of Pliny the Elder, and his mother joined other refugees escaping the earthquakes rocking their city. They observed, "the sea retreating as if pushed by the earthquakes. Pliny writes of "black and horrible clouds, broken by sinuous shapes of flaming wind. On March 17, , a two-week-long eruption began with lava from the summit of Mount Vesuvius. Vesuvius Observatory, is quoted as saying, "A marvelous thing, my Vesuvius.
It covers land with precious ash that makes the earth fertile and grapes grow, and wine.
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