Mount Vesuvius

The volcano that buried Pompeii in a day

In AD 79 Vesuvius suddenly erupted and buried the city of Pompeii under 6 metres of ash. The city was 'preserved' under the ash for 1,700 years before it was dug up — even the bread in the bakery survived! Vesuvius is quiet now, but it's only sleeping — 3 million people live around it. Scientists watch it day and night.

Vesuvius (1,281 m) is a stratovolcano on the Bay of Naples and the only volcano on mainland Europe to have erupted in the last 100 years (1944). The eruption of 24 August (or October) AD 79: a 33 km column and pyroclastic flows (700 km/h, 300 °C) buried Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, killing more than 2,000 people; Pliny the Younger described it — hence the term 'Plinian eruption'. Pompeii has been excavated since 1748 — a 'snapshot' of Roman life: frescoes, graffiti, plaster casts of bodies. Vesuvius results from the African plate sliding under the Eurasian plate. Today 700,000 people live in the 'red zone' — one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes; the evacuation plan allows 72 hours. A national park since 1995.

Fun facts

• Pompeii preserved 2,000-year-old bread, fruit and even graffiti.
• Vesuvius's ash rose 33 km — 3 times higher than airliners fly.
• 3 million people live around Vesuvius — and it's still active.