Mt. Vesuvius, And The History Of Pompeii

Review of Literature

Introduction- History Of Pompeii

The most iconic volcanic eruption in history was the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius is located on the west coast side of Italy. Pompeii was the ancient town five miles from Mt. Vesuvius where people would flock to the area in 79 AD to be near the Bay of Naples. Little did they know that the volcano would erupt into the most destructive volcano in history. Mt. Vesuvius has erupted about three dozen times and was the most disastrous due to the large population around the area. The volcano, which is still active today, is a stratovolcano. A stratovolcano has pyroclastic flows and erupt explosively and violently. Pyroclastic flows don't necessarily look exactly like “flowing eruptions”. These eruptions are not the “flowing” type of eruptions because they are eruptions with explosions and blowing clouds that fill the air. These clouds are usually dark clouds that are made up of ash. Pompeii had some signs of the volcano erupting, but the technology was not like the technology of today where scientists can monitor the volcanic activity.

Before Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., there was a major earthquake in 63 A.D. Today’s scientists believe the earthquake was a sign that Mt.Vesuvius was going to erupt. Another sign that

Verscious blasted 18 hours of ash. Pliny the Younger was the only eye witness to the eruption. Pliny wrote, “... the buildings where now shaking with violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundations.” Pliny goes on to explain that outside there was the fear of falling objects. People were yelling, crying, and shouting out for family members. After the first day, the cone collapsed which caused the volcano to flood nearby towns with an avalanche of mud and ash. Pliny explained that his uncle tried to go down the to the sea to help people escape. Unfortunately, Pliny’s uncle was overwhelmed by fumes and