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Mount Vesuvius (/ v ɪ ˈ s uː v i ə s / viss-OO-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.
Jun 13, 2024 · Mount Vesuvius (Vesuvio), active volcano near Naples, Italy, famous for its eruption in 79 CE that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. Scientific study of the volcano began in the late 18th century.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the only active volcano in mainland Europe, famous for destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD. Find out its location, geology, plate tectonic setting, and recent eruption history.
- 40°49′ N 14°26′ E
- West coast of Italy
- 1,281 m (4,000 feet)
- Complex
Dec 20, 2017 · Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. It is best known because of the eruption in A.D. 79 that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and...
- Mary Bagley
One of the world's most noted volcanoes, Vesuvius (Vesuvio) forms a dramatic backdrop to the Bay of Naples. The active cone was constructed within a large caldera of the older Monte Somma edifice, thought to have formed incrementally beginning about 17,000 years ago.
Jun 8, 2024 · On Aug. 24, in A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, shooting over 3 cubic miles of debris up to 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) in the air. As the ash and rock fell to Earth, it buried the ancient...
Nov 24, 2009 · Learn how the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under volcanic material and mud by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Explore the archaeological record and the eyewitness accounts of this catastrophic event.
