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Mount Vesuvius

Also known as Vesuvius

active stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy

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Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano located near Naples, Italy, in the Gulf of Naples. It matters because it is a stratovolcano—a type of volcano known for powerful eruptions—and remains active today, making it a significant natural hazard for the millions of people living in the densely populated region around it.

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Wikidata facts

Elevation: 1297
Image: Il cratere del Vulcano - panoramio.jpg

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Commons category: Mount Vesuvius
Commons gallery: Vesuvio
native label: Monte Vesuvio
topographic prominence: 1232
P12749: Catalpa speciosa

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Article

Mount Vesuvius (/vəˈsuːviəs/ və-SOO-vee-əs) is a somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about 9 km (5.6 mi) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuvius consists of a large cone partially encircled by the steep rim of a summit caldera, resulting from the collapse of an earlier, much higher structure.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae and other settlements. The eruption ejected a cloud of stones, ash and volcanic gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi), erupting molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 6×10 cubic metres (7.8×10 yd) per second. More than 1,000 people are thought to have died in the eruption, though the exact toll is unknown. The only surviving witness account consists of two letters by Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus.