Mount Vesuvius
The
volcano that I decided to visit was Mount Vesuvius, located in close proximity
to the town of Naples, Italy. Due to its close proximity to Naples, Mount Vesuvius
is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth. The location
of Vesuvius is within the Campanian Arc and sits on top of a tectonic
boundary. The African Plate is being subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate,
causing a series of volcanoes to emerge. The other volcanoes in the Campanian
range include Campi Flegrei and Stromboli. Mount Vesuvius is characterized as a
stratovolcano due to its massive eruptions and pyroclastic flows. Today the
volcano is relatively quiet due to it only causing minor earthquakes and emitting
low-temperature gases in spots, but the volcano has a violently explosive past.
The
past evidence of explosions is well documented. Pompeii was quickly destroyed
by Mount Vesuvius in less than a day. Due to the quick spreading of volcanic
ash, the city is still preserved to its original state from A.D. 79. The
detailed accounts by Pliny the Younger to his friend Tacitus retell the day’s
event and the horror that struck the city that day. Mount Vesuvius has erupted
many times since, and people still call the land surrounding their home. This
is due to the ash that covers the land post-eruption, the ash makes the land
fertile and many plants flourish on the land. Most important being grapes to
produce wine.
The
volcano continues to be active and most recently earthquakes have been
registered in the range of a magnitude 3.6. These earthquakes were documented
to occur in 1999, and if history repeats itself a major eruption is set to
happen anytime. The last devastating earthquake in 1631 triggered an explosion
17 years later.
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