The mount Vesuvius ( assembles Italian Vesuvio in , Vesuvius Mons in Latin) is a Italian Volcan a height of: 1281 meters, bordering the Bay of Naples, in the east of the city. It is about the only volcano of continental Europe with being entered in eruption during the hundred last years, even if he is currently in sleep, its last eruption going back to 1944.
It was responsible, on August 24th, 79, of the destruction of the towns of Pompéi, Herculanum, Oplontis and Stabies, buried under a rain of ashes and mud which, thus, preserved them. It entered in eruption many other times during the last millenia and is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanos of the world because of the population which lives with the accesses and its explosive tendency.
It inspired by many legends and representations during the centuries. The mountain is classified National park since 1995.
Vesuvius rises with: 1281 meters of altitude in the Italian area of Campania, with the top of the Bay of Naples (in Adriatic Sea), with approximately nine kilometers in the east of the heart of the second greater agglomeration of the country with 4 million inhabitants. It is located at the south of the principal chain of the the Apennines.
It is about the only volcano of continental Europe with being entered in eruption during the hundred last years, the two others to Italy being located on islands: the Etna (Sicily) and the Stromboli (Wind islands).
The topography of the volcano consists of two elements: the first is the Mont Summoned in north, partially surrounding the current cone, vestige of the old building more raised, and the second is the cone of the Vesuvius ( Gran Cono ), formed by the eruption of year 79. For this reason, the volcano is also called Somma Vesuvius (or Somma Vesuvio ).
The Caldeira started to be formed during an eruption estimated at: 17000 or: 18300 years and was widened by successive eruptions until year 79. This structure gave its name at the end “Volcan Summa”, which describes any type of volcano with one will caldeira summit surrounding a more recent cone.
It is a volcano of the explosive type equipped with a 300 depth meters truncated conical crater for 400 meters in diameter. This crater is however stopped: the lava is with ten kilometers in lower part. Indeed, if it is not currently any more in eruption, it remains in activity: the earth tremors are important (more than 700 per annum) and of the Fumerolle S continue to slacken gases. It is thus under constant monitoring.
The height of the principal cone changed constantly during the successive eruptions, but is currently of: 1281 meters. The Somma mount culminates as for him with: 1149 meters, the valley Atrio di Cavallo, broad 5 kilometers separating both.
The mountainsides are covered with lava flow but generally densément wooded, with undergrowth in high-altitude and Vignoble S at low altitude. Currently, castings of Lave of the last eruption going back to 1944 are quite visible because they were not covered yet by the vegetation.
The flora around Vesuvius and of the Somma mount varies according to the seasons but division of the common aspects, in particular strong the Anthropisation which characterizes the first slopes of the mountain. In term of difference, the volcanic cone is drier and sunny, with a typical Mediterranean vegetation made up of artificial Pinède S and Ilex (kind of the Houx), whereas the Somma mount is wetter with a vegetation similar to that of the Apennines, with Châtaignier S, Chêne S, Aulne S, maple S and Ilex; among these species, although rare, one finds the Bouleau, atypical tree in the Mediterranean medium.
The richness of the vegetation on the old lava flows is due to the fast establishment of the Stereocaulon vesuvianum , a plant with the aspect of Corail which prepares the ground and receives the roots of the future plants. One counts 906 different species on the mountain.
This volcanic Cône is one of the many others which compose the arc campanien. The Champs Phlégréens are broad a Caldeira with a few kilometers in the North-West, the Mont Époméo is located 20 kilometers at the west, on the island of Ischia and several underwater volcanos are in the south. The arc forms the southernmost end of a broader volcanic chain resulting from the process of Subduction which is spread out in the North-West along the Adriatic coast until the Mont Amiata in the south of the Toscane. Vesuvius is however the only one with being entered in eruption during the recent history, although some others had an activity during the few last hundreds of years. The majority are completely extinct.
The lava of Vesuvius is made up of viscous Andésite. The layers of lava, Slag S, volcanic ash and stones Ponce S compose the mountain.
Among the notable eruptive events, the eruption of February 1848 produced a vapor column of approximately 15 meters in height exceeded the crater, presenting a large variety of colors and followed at the dawn of ten white, black and green circles in the form of cone. A similar appearance was observed in 1820.
More recently, in May 1855, a broad incandescent lava flow 70 meters precipitated in important a 300 depth meters crack. The first part of this crack is a chasm and at this place the lava formed a splendid cascade of fire.
In 1872, a spectacular eruption created a vast cloud in the shape of pine and the lava destroyed the area of Massa di Somma and San Sebastiano Al Vesuvio.
In the businesss year intermediate, the lava overflowing of the crater formed two domes of stagnation: in 1895, the Adhesive Margharita (in Atrio LED Cavallo, with half-buried by the lava of the eruption of 1944) and in 1898, the Adhesive Umberto . This last, still perfectly intact, constitutes a kind of natural barrier for the observatory, since the lava épenchant itself directly towards him is deviated by the sides of the dome.
The eruption of 1906, effectively described by Frank Alvord Perret and Matilde Serao, most important was occurred during the 20th century. It is still difficult to draw up the volume of ejecta exactly. Immense lava flow which took the direction of Torre Annunziata miraculeusement was miraculeusement stopped by the walls of the cimetère and the gas cloud generated in the ultimate hour of activity swept the top and emptied the magmatic Chambre. The collapse of the roof of the church of San Giuseppe Vesuviano, caused by the rain of ashes, killed the 105 people who had taken refuge to request.
An intermediate eruption occurred in 1929, when a lake of lava was formed in the crater and that it ended up overflowing on the south-eastern slope to destroy only some vineyards.
The last eruption occurred the 16 and March 29th, 1944 and again destroyed Massa and San Sebastiano Al Vesuvio. It strewed all the southernmost slope with ashes and was made famous in the current events because of the presence anglo - American which occupied Naples at the time. Spectacular fountains of lava rose up to 800 meters in height, whereas 26 people were killed by the rain of ash and that the crater underwent a radical deterioration.
It then was increased by a series of lava flow, intercalated with smaller explosive eruptions. However, the style of explosion changed there is: approximately 19000 years towards a sequence of broad explosive eruptions pliniennes, that of year 79 being the last. The eruptions are named according to the deposits of produced ejecta:
The last of these eruptions probably occurred in -217, although they are contemporary approximately 250 years of the brought back event. Samples of icicles of the Greenland of this approximate period show a relatively high acidity supposed to be caused by the Sulfure of hydrogen of the atmosphere.
The volcano was then calm lasting of the hundreds of years and was described by the writers Romains as being covered of Jardin S and Vignoble S, except at the top which was roccailleux. Inside a broad almost perpendicular cliff circle was an enough broad flat space to shelter the quartering of the army of the rebel Spartacus in -73. This zone was without any doubt a crater. The mountain at that time seems to have had one top, to judge of it by a mural, Bacchus and Vesuvius , discovered in a dwelling pompéienne, the “House of the Centenary” ( Casa del Centenario ).
Several documents written during the 200 years which preceded the eruption by 79 describe a volcanic nature of the mountain, although Pline Old the does not depict it this way in Naturalis Historia :
Another smaller seism takes place in 64; it is recorded by Suétone in its biography of Néron, De Vita Caesarum , and by Tacite in book XV of Annales because it is held whereas the Emperor is with Naples, for a first representation in a theater public. Suétone notes that it continues to sing during the jolts until the end of the song, whereas the ploughed up theater little time after being evacuated.
The Romans thrive while being accustomed to the minor seisms in the area; the writer Pline the Young person writes that they “are not particularly alarming because of their frequency in Campania”. At the beginning of the month of August 79, the fountains and the wells are drained. Small earthquakes start to proceed on August 20th, 79.
The eruption of Vesuvius August 24th and 25th 79 proceeded in two phases, a eruption plinienne which lasted 18 to 8 p.m. and generated a stone pounces rain towards the south of the cone which covered Pompéi a thickness going up to 2,8 meters, followed by a Pelean eruption with a volcanic Cloud which reached Misène and was concentrated in the west and the North-West. Two volcanic clouds invaded Pompéi, burning and asphyxiating the latecomers. Oplontis and Herculanum received the major part of the clouds and was buried of fine ash and pyroclastic deposits,
It was difficult to distinguish by far which mountain left this cloud; the event discovered since it was mount of Vesuvius. Its figure approached that of a tree, and a pine more than of any other; because, after being itself high extremely top hat of trunk, it extended a species of foliage. I think that an underground wind violent one initially pushed it with impetuosity and supported it; but, either that the impulse decreased little by little, or that this cloud was subsided by its own weight, one saw it dilating and being spread; it appeared sometimes white, sometimes noirâtre, and sometimes of various colors, according to whether it were charged more or with ash or ground|Pline the Young person|Epistles, delivers VI, letter 16
It is about a eruptive Colonne, estimated today at more than 32 kilometers height.
After a few times, it describes the cloud springing with the bottom of the mountainsides and recovering all on its passage, including the surrounding coast. One knows today that it was about a volcanic Cloud, overheated gas cloud, ashes and rock spit by the volcano. The geologists used the magnetic characteristics of more than 200 volcanic rocks and remains (such as tiles) found with Pompéi to estimate the temperature of the cloud. Indeed, when the rocks in fusion are solidified, the magnetic minerals contained record the direction of the Terrestrial magnetic field. If the material is carried beyond a certain temperature, known as a Point of Curie, the magnetic field of the rock can be modified even re-initialized. The majority of analyzed materials revealed temperatures ranging between 240 and 340°C (with some zones with lower temperatures bordering 180°C). That suggests that the cloud of ash had a temperature of 850°C when it emerged from Vesuvius and fell with 350°C time to reach the city. It was modelled that turbulences can have a mixture of fresh air within the cloud. It is what is called from now on the phase plinienne of the eruption, in reference at the same time to Pline the Young person and Pline the Old one.
Pline declared that several earth tremors were felt at the time of the eruption and were followed by very a violent one earthquake. It also noted that ash fell in very thick particles so much so that the village where it was to be evacuated and then that the sun was masked by the eruption so that the weather was dark in full day. Lastly, the sea was aspired and reabsorbed by a seism, phenomenon called today “Tsunami”.
Pline and its group observe the flames coming from several places of the mountain (probably the volcanic cloud responsible for the destruction for Pompéi and Herculanum). After having spent the night, they decide to evacuate in spite of the rain of ejecta S because of the prolongation of the violent conditions threatening to break down the building. Pline, Pomponianus and their companions travel opposite in direction of the beach with cushions attached at their head to protect them from the falls from rock. At this time, there is so much ash in the air which the group can be hardly distinguished through darkness and needs torches and lanterns to find its way. They end up arriving on the beach but too violently find water disturbed by the seisms to be able to hope to escape by the sea.
Pline the Old one collapses and dies. In his first Tacite letter, its nephew supposes that it underwent the inhalations of the sulphuric gases poisoned. However Stabies was with 16 kilometers of the volcano (roughly to the site of the current city of Castellammare di Stabia) and his/her companions were apparently not affected by smoke; it is then more probable than corpulent Pline died of another cause, like a Apoplexie or a Myocardial infarction. Its body was found without wound connect on August 26th, after the plume dispersed sufficiently so that light of day reappears.
See also: Destruction of Pompéi
August 24th, 79, the Roman city of Pompéi, in the Baie of Naples is entirely buried at the time of an eruption of Vesuvius at the same time as its neighbors Herculanum, Oplontis and Stabies. This Catastrophe makes approximately: 30000 dead.
With Pline Old the, only the other noble victims of the eruption known by their name are Agrippa, a son of the Jewish princess Drusilla and of the procurator Antonius Felix and his wife.
The estimates of the population of Pompéi go from: 10000 with: 25000. The remainders of 350 bodies were found with Herculanum, including 300 pennies of the vaults discovered in 1980. However, these figures represent without question a strong undervaluation of the full number of died through the area affected by the eruption.
38% of the victims of Pompéi were found in the deposits of ash, the majority inside the buildings. They were probably killed for the majority by the collapse of the roofs, while for the smaller number of those found outside, they probably were it by the fall of tiles or broader rocks spit by the volcano. That differs from the modern experiments since during the 400 last years only 4% of the victims were killed by the falls of ash during the explosive eruptions. The 62% of remaining victims were found in the pyroclastic deposits.
See also: Pompéi
The ancient site of Pompéi is classified with the world heritage of UNESCO since 1997, with Herculanum and Torre Annunziata.
The eruption entirely buried the city, creating a protective sheath on the bodies and has permi the lapse of memory of the city during: 1600 years. Redécouverte by chance at the 17th century, the city was preserved better than if the catastrophe had not occurred: the excavations carried out at the 18th century made it possible to exhume a flourishing city in an unhoped-for state of conservation, invaluable testimony of the town planning of the Roman Empire.
The archeologists assure to the account of Pline the Young person, who attended adolescent the eruption.
In addition to this catastrophe, because of the persistent rain, of the ebullient water torrents are formed and descended the slope, producing terrible destruction until January, particularly on the septentrional face.
Portici, Resined (the antique Herculanum), Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata is partly destroyed, while the hamlet of Pietra Bianca (“Pierre Blanche”) is famous Pietrarsa. One counts between: 3000 and: 4000 victims, as well as many animals, especially of the Bovine S, killed by the lava flows.
In remembering the direct threat, in Naples, still today, the statue of the is patron saint San Gennaro, on the bridge of Maddalena, vis-a-vis Vesuvius. In Portici, a tomb stone informs in Latin the traveller to flee the least sound coming from the volcano.
Since the eruption of 79, Vesuvius entered in eruption more than one about thirty times. In 203, Dion Cassius is pilot. In 472, it ejects such a volume of ash that repercussions are also reported far Constantinople. The eruption of 512 is so hard that the people living on its sides see themselves granting an exemption of taxes by Théodoric Large the, king Ostrogoth of Italy. Successive eruptions proceed in 685, 787, 968, 991, 999, 1007 and 1036 with first lava flow consigned. The volcano enters a phase of inactivity at the end of the 13th century and the following years it is again covered with gardens and vineyards. The interior of the crater is also filled of brouissailles.
1631 mark the beginning of a new particularly destructive phase and practically continues, with violent eruptions in 1660, 1682, 1694, 1698, 1707, 1737, 1760, 1767, 1779, 1794, 1822, 1834, 1839, 1850, May 1855, 1861, 1868, 1872, April 1906, 1926, 1929, and March 1944. That of 1906 in particular keep silent more than 100 people and ejects more lava than it had never been measured by it at the time of an eruption of Vesuvius. The last major event, at the day of 2007 proceeds in 1944, destroying the villages of San Sebastiano Al Vesuvio, Massa di Somma, Ottaviano and part of San Giorgio has Cremano, like 88 planes bombers B-25 of the Air Force, whereas the Second world war continues to make rage in Italy.
These eruptions can be classified in three categories.
The stagnant magma in the magmatic Chambre underground since many years starts to meet components with a Point melting more raised, like the Olivine, resulting in crystallizing. The consequence is to increase the dissolved gas concentration (mainly of the Steam and the Carbon dioxide) in the magma in fusion remaining, making the eruption later more violent. With this scenario, the slopes of the mountain extending beyond 7 kilometers could be swept by volcanic clouds descending the slopes, while the peripheral zones could undergo falls of ejected. Because of the dominant winds, the cities in the south and the east of the volcano are more exposed and it is allowed beyond that an accumulation of ejected higher than 100 kg/m ², not of which the roofs threaten to crumble, could occur until Avellino in the east or Salerno in south-east. For Naples, in the North-West, this risk of falls of ejected is supposed to extend hardly further that the slopes from the volcano.
The plan supposes between two weeks and twenty days, of notice of an eruption and envisages the emergency evacuation of: 600000 people, including/understanding almost entirely all the population living in the shingles rossa (“red zone”), with the maximum risk of volcanic cloud. The evacuation by Train S, ferries, bus and Autobus is conceived to last approximately seven days and the refugees would be mainly sent in other areas of the country rather than in sour zones of Campanie, where they could have to remain for several months. However, the dilemma for the execution of the plan is the moment when to begin this massive evacuation, since if it is decided too late, much people could be killed, whereas if it is decided too early, the precursors of the eruption could prove to be a false alarm. In 1984: 40000 people were evacuated area of the Champs Phlégréens, but no eruption occurred.
The volcano is followed closely by the Osservatorio Vesuviano to Naples with a vast network of seismic stations and gravimetric, the combination of a geodetic base GPS and of a Radar to synthesis of satellite opening by .
December 13rd, 1886, Oblieght yields, as envisaged, the concession and the management of the company for the amount of: 1200000 liras with the French of the Public limit company of the funicular railroad of Vesuvius. At that time, 300 tourists experienced each day the rise of the volcano. However, the company, involved in debt by the costs of maintenance and the weak receipts, is forced in its turn to yield the concession to the Thomas Cook and His Company, for: 170000 liras, on November 24th, 1888. John Mason Cook, heir with died to his father in 1892 must face financial pressures and sabotages on behalf of the local guides. The new line of railroad Pugliano-Vesuvius, built in 1903, contributes to double the number of tourists transported to the crater. The company must replace the installation by more modern increasing its capacity.
But the eruption of the 7 and April 8th, 1906 destroys arrival and the starting stations, the restaurant, the equipment and the two new coaches, hidden under 20 to 30 meters of ash. The railway is also damaged and the volcano is transfigured. However, all is rebuilt, and in 1909, a new funicular is in service, thanks to the project of Enrico Treiber. March 12th, 1911, a new eruption requires a little less than one year of repair at the higher station. The installation functions again with full mode and escapes the eruption of 1929, whereas the Cook brothers withdraw themselves in 1928 and yield part of their shares to the Italian Public limit company of the railroads of Vesuvius. Finally, after 1944, the funicular, irreparably damaged, is left with the abandonment.
A plan of rebuilding of the funicular, produced by the architect Nicola Pagliara, is approved in 1988. Work begins in November 1991, but is stopped little time after, while the vestiges of the coaches of 1909 were updated. In spite of the depth of the excavation, exceeding the base of the volcano, no thermal source was collected. However, in 2001, of the magma was located with 10 kilometers under surface, consequently, the volcano continues to be followed.
The observatory of Vesuvius ( Osservatorio Vesuviano ) is a public institute of research depending on the Italian Ministry of the university and research. Since 2001, it constitutes a branch of the Italian National institute of Géophysique and Vulcanologie, in load in particular of the follow-up of the volcanic activity (Vesuvius, Champs Phlégréens, Ischia).
The observatory is oldest of the world in the field of vulcanology. At the time of its foundation, decided in 1841 by Ferdinand II of Deux-Siciles, king de Naples.
In addition, he was regarded by the Greek and the Romains as a mountain crowned with the demigod Heracles - Hercules, and the name of the town of Herculaneum, built at its base, is drawn from the hero.
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