Mt. Vesuvius

• Location: Vesuvius, Italy– 40.8 N 14.4 E

• Elevation: 1,281 m (4,200 ft)• Covers approximately 480 Km2

Mt. Vesuvius

http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/gallery.htm?name=Vesuvius

Continental-Oceanic Plate

Important Geologic Information

Magma types: 1.) Felsic2.) Intermediate3.) Mafic

Primarily Felsic, High Viscosity

Minerals from lava: Plagioclase, Augate, Nephaline…

Eruption type: Explosive with pyroclastic flows

79 AD EruptionThe Vesuvius eruption began at midday on

August 24, 79 AD

There were two phases of this eruption:

1.)Plinian phase, where material was ejected in a tall column, spread in atmosphere and fell to earth like rain.

2) Peléan phase where material flowed down the sides of the volcano as fast-moving avalanches of gas and dust (pyroclastic flow).

The first phase created a Plinian column approximately 20 km (66,000 feet) high.

This phase created a rain of ash and pumice over a broad area primarily to the south of Vesuvius, carried by prevailing winds.

This phase lasted approximately eighteen hours, when approximately 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) of pumice stones fell on Pompeii.

Phase One

Phase Two

A pyroclastic flow as seen in the picture here carries rock debris, ash and dangerous gases down the mountain similar to an avalanche.

Aftermath of Eruption

• Over 3,300 people died in this eruption alone.

• Most of which were killed in position from the pyroclastic flow.

• Vesuvius eruption buried the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

• The city was abandoned and its location forgotten until 1595.

Pompeii

• Photograph is looking northwest from Pompeii to Vesuvius. Photo by Chuck Wood.

• Mold of a dog that was chained up during the eruption and eventually suffocated from the almost ten feet of volcanic ash that fell on Pompeii.

What If...• If the Volcano erupted today:

– over 130 million people would be effected over seven days from ash and other debris.

– Over 1.5 million people live within two kilometer of Mt. Vesuvius, and would most likely die in an eruption, if it occurred today.

– Most likely little to no warning.

Works Cited

• http://www.hotelolimpico.it/-vesuvio.htm

• http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_

vesuvius.html • http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vw_hyperexchange/

deadly_volcs.html

• http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/

img_vesuvius.html • http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/gallery.htm?name=Vesuvius • http://touritaly.org/misc/vesuvio-pre.htm