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4 Mount Vesuvius Introduction

Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic
eruptions. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient
Somma volcano. Vesuvius is most famous for the 79 AD eruption which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and
Herculaneum. Though the volcano's last eruption was in 1944, it still represents a great danger to the cities that
surround it, especially the busy metropolis of Naples.














Location: West coast of Italy
Coordinates: 4049 N 1426 E
Elevation: 1281meters (4000 feet)
Volcano Type: Complex
Last Eruption: 1944
Nearby Volcanoes: Etna Stromboli
A panorama of the Gulf of Naples, Italy, showing the high population
density and commerce. Mt. Vesuvius rests quietly in the background.
Image iStockphoto / Danilo Ascione.
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1 Mount Vesuvius is about 4,190 feet high and measures about 30 miles around its base.
Geologists estimate it to be about 17,000 years old.
2 Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland that has erupted during the last
century and is still active. It has erupted over 50 times during the last 2,000 years.
3 The last eruption occurred in 1944, during the height of the Second World War,
destroying US bomber planes stationed a few kilometres away. A long period of calm
usually means an eruption may happen soon.
4 The most famous eruption happened in 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius erupted continuously for
almost a day, killing thousands of people and completely burying the nearby city
of Pompeii. The town of Herculaneum was also buried.
5 The eruption released a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the
Hiroshima bombing. An estimated 16 000 people lost their lives. -
6 The impact of the eruption was such that the Sarno river changed its course and the sea
beach was raised. Many physical features of this area were altered, with the vegetation at the
foot of the mountain being denuded.

7 An interesting fact is that this mountain is a volcano within a volcano. The height of the outer
cone is approximately 4,202 feet (1,281 m) high, while the inner Monte Somma measures
3,770 feet (1,149 m). The cones are separated by a 5 km (3 miles) long valley which is
named as Atrio di Cavalio.

8 Since 1944, there have been hundreds of minor earthquakes in the region around
Mount Vesuvius. The most serious earthquake rockedNaples in October 1999. The
magnitude-3.6 quake was felt as far as 15 miles (24 km) from the base of the volcano
and was of the same magnitude as a quake that occurred 17 years prior to the last truly
major explosion that devastated Naples in 1631.
9 Vesuvius erupted in 18th century (6 times) and also in the 19th century, especially in 1872.
In the 20th century, it erupted in 1906, 1929 and 1944 witnessed its last eruption. These
eruptions were not so forceful as to cause huge damage like the 79 AD.
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10 Mount Vesuvius is well-known for its catastrophic eruption on August 4, 79 AD which erased
the evidence of two ancient cities - Herculaneum and Pompeii. The inhabitants of both these
cities were buried under tons of volcanic ash caused due to the eruption. Many people and
livestock also died because of inhaling poisonous fumes from the volcano.
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