Mount Vesuvius Volcano

Mount Vesuvius is one of the most famous and dangerous volcanoes in the world. It is located in Southern Italy, near Naples and stands at around 4202 feet or 1281 meters. It is classified as a complex stratovolcano, which is also known as composite volcano. It is made up of layers of lava and ash. The volcano is at the convergent boundary where the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate form a subduction zone. Vesuvius consists a large and central cone, which is surrounded by a steep caldera called Mount Somma. In another words, Vesuvius forms after the collapsed of Somma nearly 17,000 years ago. It also contains a large crater at the top and a central vent that release the magma from the interior of the Earth. Another interesting fact about Vesuvius is that it is the only active volcano in mainland Europe. Stratovolcano is always related with violent and explosive eruptions. Vesuvius has undergone many catastrophic and significant eruptions in the history. The most devastating and famous eruption took place on August 24, 79 A.D. Two Roman …show more content…
Vesuvius brings earthquakes that usually preceded volcanic eruptions. For instance, there was a strong earthquake in 62 A.D., before the powerful eruption in 79 A.D. The earthquake also caused severe damages in Naples. Before the eruption of 1631, minor earthquakes also occurred frequently. Although there is no more eruption after 1944, there are many small earthquakes near Mount Vesuvius region. To some extent, earthquakes can be the signs of upcoming eruptions. In addition, volcanic eruptions are sometimes accompanied with tsunami. A volcanic case study from Tulane University indicates that tsunamis were generated when pyroclastic flows from Vesuvius entered the sea during 79 A.D. eruption. Another article brought by the National Earth Science Teachers Association(NESTA) described that during the 1631 eruption, a tsunami hit the shores