Research Paper On Mount Vesuvius

Introduction

Mount Vesuvius if a well-known volcano located in the Gulf of Naples, Italy. It has an infamous history of being very destructive to nearby civilizations, and erupting almost every century. The most famous eruption occurred in 79 AD, where the volcano eruption completely covered the nearby cities and killed many people. Today, the area around surrounding the volcano is well populated; however there are precautions put in place in order to avoid a loss as large as the one in 79 AD.

Geologic Process

Mount Vesuvius is classified as a stratovolcano because its eruptions are very explosive and involve pyroclastic flows (Bagley). It is one of the volcanoes found in the Campanian volcanic arc. Some of the other volcanoes in the area

Fortunately, during the eruption of 79 AD, there were firsthand reports describing the volcano in detail, written by Pliny the Younger – an author of ancient Rome. The people near Mount Vesuvius did not expect the eruption, and when the eruption occurred, not everybody left the area. The eruption lasted approximately 24 hours. Pliny the Younger observed the volcano from afar and reported that the dark cloud of ash released from the volcano blocked all light from the sun, making it darker than night. Despite the rain of ash and pumice at the beginning of the eruption, this was not necessarily lethal for the nearby civilizations. However when the ash mixed with rainwater, it formed a concrete-like rock which covered the towns and people of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and even preserved them to this day. As the eruption continued, it was the pyroclastic flows – fast moving currents of gas and rock – that completely destroyed anything in its way (Wallace-Hadrill). Although the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD had a disastrous effect for the surrounding area, it was an even more devastating loss for the

In addition to taking many human lives, the volcano destroyed every living being – plants and animals – in its path. With the tremors that came after the eruption, there was the possibility of a tsunami, which may have caused even more damage. The eruption, the tremors of the earth, and the possible tsunami destroyed almost everything in the vicinity of the volcano (Gonzalez). Another problem that arises with a volcanic eruption is the volcanic ash. The volcanic ash released from Mount Vesuvius was enough to cover the sunlight, and can be poisonous for humans to inhale. Also, the ash reflects sunlight, which results in the cooling of Earth (Turgeon). While every volcano is hazardous to human life, volcanoes can have a positive effect after the destruction they cause. The ash from volcanoes has many minerals that come from deep under the earth. The ash falls to the ground and mixes with the soil near the volcano. This makes the soil highly concentrated with minerals and very fertile. The fertile soil attracts more people to live in the area around Mount Vesuvius, despite the danger of an eruption (Tilling). On top of the effect it has had on the environment, the Mount Vesuvius eruption has also affected current government