Vesuvius volcano

In modern territory of continental Europe there are three fire-breathing mountains: the Sicilian volcano Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius. The latter is located only fifteen kilometers from the city of Italy in Naples. This volcano is an integral part of the Mediterranean mobile belt, which begins in Europe and ends in Indonesia. Its total height is about one thousand two hundred and seventy-six meters, the depth of the crater is about three hundred meters, and the width is about six hundred meters. The volcano Vesuvius conceals two magmatic chambers beneath. The first is at a depth of 3 km, the second - at 10-15 km. Looking at the volcano from a bird's eye view, you can see three cones: the first is a mountain called the Somma, the second is located inside it, and the third is at the bottom of the crater. The latter also becomes invisible after eruptions.

The rich history of the volcano is full of earthquakes of varying strength. In the year 1660 BC, the famous Avellin eruption led to global climate change on our planet. In the sixty-second year of AD. From the earthquake seriously affected Herculaneum, Pompeii and other cities that were located at the foot of Vesuvius. Many settlements were never restored to the end and finally perished during the eruption of the seventy-ninth year AD. The witness of this disaster was Pliny the Younger, who later told about the disaster in two well-known letters to Cornelia Tacitus, thanks to which this eruption is considered the starting point of the history of Vesuvius.

After seventy-ninth year AD. The cities at the foot of the volcano were like the lunar landscape. Inhabitants of the destroyed areas left these unreliable places. Later, people began to return to the fertile land around the volcano. However, this was for many a fatal mistake: Vesuvius did not stop and continued to erupt. In one thousand sixty-third year the earthquake was so frightening that volcanic ash reached Istanbul itself, which is already in one thousand three hundred kilometers from Vesuvius. This time the natural element claimed about four thousand human lives.

Subsequently, the volcano Vesuvius erupted violently in 1794, 1822, 1872 and 1906. The last lava emissions occurred in the year 1924. During the eruption, the volcano Vesuvius caused damage to such Italian cities as Massa and San Sebastiano.

In one thousand eight hundred and forty-first year, scientists created the world's first volcanological observatory, designed to observe and study Vesuvius. Each gas discharge and any vibration of the volcano are fixed by the newest sensors, and also they are monitored from the Earth satellite every minute. According to experts, "Vesuvius is the most controlled volcano on the planet".

The path to the place where the volcano Vesuvius is, was heavy and long. But despite this, the crater always attracted the attention of travelers. To facilitate the ascent to the volcano, it was decided to build a cable-lift. For six years, technical services have worked hard on this complex project. In 1880, the funicular was built. After 1944, he was replaced by a chair lift that lasted for forty years. Nowadays, in order to climb to the crater and see the volcano Vesuvius at a short distance, it's enough to drive by car, and the remaining meters can be easily reached on foot in a few minutes.

Today, this amazing and formidable creation of nature is one of Italy's most visited attractions. And only a cloud of smoke above the vent reminds of the fierce and merciless force that lurks in the depths of the volcano.