Brecheisen Week 4 Mount Vesuvius

I had always wanted to travel to Italy and this week was the perfect opportunity. My family and I took the trip of a lifetime where we were able to do all sorts of wonderful things. We ate so much food, rode the canals of Venice in a gondola, took a chilling tour through Pompeii and stopped at the great Mount Vesuvius. Since this week was about learning about volcanoes, this was the perfect learning opportunity.

Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano in Italy. It was 4,203 feet in 2013, but varies in size due to eruptions. It also consists of Mount Somma, a 3,714 ft semicircular ridge, and Giant’s Valley, a valley between Mount Somma and the cone of Mount Vesuvius. The summit of the cone has a 1,000 ft deep, 2,000 ft wide crater. It is located on the Campania plain rising above the Bay of Naples. Mount Vesuvius is located on the west coast of Italy as a result from the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. This convergence created the Campanian volcanic arc, which is a line of volcanoes stretching over the subduction zone. Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on mainland Europe, but the Campanian volcanic arc also includes Mount Etna, the highest and most active volcano in Europe. The convergence of these plates and formation of Mount Vesuvius likely occurred less than 200,000 years ago.

Mount Vesuvius was dormant for many years after its formation until its infamous eruption in 79 CE. This is the eruption that buried Oplontis, Stabiae, Herculaneum, and the famous Pompeii. Each site was buried by ash, lapilli, and a mudflow as a result of the eruption. Mount Vesuvius erupted several times in the years following from 79 to 1037 CE. After this period, there were several centuries of quiescence until a six-month series of earthquakes triggered another eruption on December 16, 1631. After this, the volcano has been observed to have two continuous stages: quiescent and eruptive. From 1660 to 1944, the eruptive stages would last from 6 months to 30 ¾ years while the quiescent stages lasted from 18 moths to 7 ½ years.

The activity of Mount Vesuvius prompted an observatory to be built to study this volcano in 1845. It is classified as a stratovolcano due to its eruptions including pyroclastic flows in addition to their explosive nature. A deep tunnel was constructed to monitor seismo-gravimetric measurements as well. Underneath Mount Vesuvius lies a slab window. This window allows rock from the subducted African plate to be melted from the heat from the mantle and build up pressure to cause the explosive eruptions.

Even though the last major eruption was in 1944, there are continuous earthquakes in the area. The most serious recent earthquake was a magnitude 3.6 in October 1999. Based on the history of this volcano along with it remaining active, this gives the possibility of more eruptions. Because of the danger associated with this volcano, we did not stay long. It is a beautiful mountain and made more impressive by its violent history. It’s definitely a one-and-done type of journey as I am not one to tempt fate.

References

Bagley, M. (2017). Mount Vesuvius & Pompeii: Facts & History. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/27871-mount-vesuvius-pompeii.html

Vesuvius | Facts, Location, & Eruptions. (1998). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Vesuvius