Pompeii
This destructive event costed many lives during AD 79 in Pompeii, Italy. Mt. Vesuvius is located at 46°49N 14°26E (close to Naples, Italy).
Did You Know...
1) Mount Vesuvius is approximately 4,190 feet high and about 30 miles around its base. Geologists estimate it to be about 17,000 years old.
2) Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland that has erupted during the last century and is still active. It has erupted over 50 times within the last 2,000 years.
3) Over 3 million people live in the area of Mount Vesuvius. More people live dangerously close to it than to any other active volcano anywhere in the world.
4) Archaeologists have found many well preserved items due to the volcanic ash in and around Pompeii over the years. They include heating stoves, eye patches, cooking utensils and goblets, as well as the remains of dogs and cats.
5) When the volcano erupted, most people fled to where they felt safe, although they did not realize they were running towards the volcano. The only surviving account of the eruptions are two letters written by Pliny the Younger, a local writer.
6) Mount Vesuvius is actually a volcano within a volcano and is known as a stratovolcano because of its conical shape. The two distinct cones are separated by a 3 mile long valley.
7) The volcano was made a National Park in 1995. Visitors can climb the mountain and walk to within 200 yards of the summit, where sulfuric smoke can be seen coming out of the crater.
8)The most famous eruption happened in 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius erupted continuously for almost a day, killing thousands of people and completely burying the nearby city of Pompeii. The town of Herculaneum was also buried.
1) Mount Vesuvius is approximately 4,190 feet high and about 30 miles around its base. Geologists estimate it to be about 17,000 years old.
2) Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland that has erupted during the last century and is still active. It has erupted over 50 times within the last 2,000 years.
3) Over 3 million people live in the area of Mount Vesuvius. More people live dangerously close to it than to any other active volcano anywhere in the world.
4) Archaeologists have found many well preserved items due to the volcanic ash in and around Pompeii over the years. They include heating stoves, eye patches, cooking utensils and goblets, as well as the remains of dogs and cats.
5) When the volcano erupted, most people fled to where they felt safe, although they did not realize they were running towards the volcano. The only surviving account of the eruptions are two letters written by Pliny the Younger, a local writer.
6) Mount Vesuvius is actually a volcano within a volcano and is known as a stratovolcano because of its conical shape. The two distinct cones are separated by a 3 mile long valley.
7) The volcano was made a National Park in 1995. Visitors can climb the mountain and walk to within 200 yards of the summit, where sulfuric smoke can be seen coming out of the crater.
8)The most famous eruption happened in 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius erupted continuously for almost a day, killing thousands of people and completely burying the nearby city of Pompeii. The town of Herculaneum was also buried.