Mount Vesuvius Facts for Kids

In school we are often told to collect information on various things. I remember nagging my parents to search for information the teacher had asked me to collect, so that i could complete my project. One popular assignment (that even I had in school) is to collect details regarding volcanoes and sometimes even build models of these mountains. For this, students have to hunt through various media to gather information on these fire mountains, assemble them together and present them in class. In the following article you will find some Mount Vesuvius facts for kids, to help them with their assignment.

Volcanoes have existed from the time the Earth was formed. It is not necessary that the volcanoes need to be mountains with conical tops. These fire spewing mountains can be found in every continent of the globe. Mount Vesuvius is one such famous volcano that is located in the European continent. The precise location of this volcano is near the city of Naples, in Italy, about six miles from the shore of the Bay of Naples. This volcano has a historical significance, owing to its many eruptions, the first eruption that we know of dates back to almost 17,000 years ago.

Interesting Facts about Mount Vesuvius

There are a number of amazing facts about Vesuvius, regarding the nature of the volcano, its location and eruptions in the past. Here is a list consisting few of them. You can use these facts for your project or term paper on volcanoes.

• Located in Naples, Italy, Mount Vesuvius which is approximately 17, 000 years old is a stratovolcano. This volcano can be recognized even from a distance, due to its characteristic feature of a 'humpback' mountain.
• Volcanoes are classified according to their shapes and Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano. Stratovolcano is a term given to volcanoes which have a conical shape, formed due to the deposits of volcanic ash, asphalt, pumice, hardened lava etc.
• An interesting fact is that this mountain is a volcano within a volcano. The height of the outer cone is approximately 4,202 feet (1,281 m) high, while the inner Monte Somma measures 3,770 feet (1,149 m). The cones are separated by a 5 km (3 miles) long valley which is named as Atrio di Cavalio.
• Mount Vesuvius is well-known for its catastrophic eruption in AD 79, on August 24, which erased the evidence of two ancient cities - Herculaneum and Pompeii. The inhabitants of both these cities were buried under tons of volcanic ash caused due to the eruption. Many people and livestock also died because of inhaling poisonous fumes from the volcano.
• Pliny, the Elder, who was a Roman writer, and a witness to this natural calamity, published description of the volcanic eruption to the detail. The lost cities were perfectly preserved by the ash and many evidences were excavated by the modern-day archaeologists.
• The characteristics of this eruption was that a huge column of gas and volcanic ash, could be seen rising to a great altitude. Hence this eruption is termed as 'Plinian' eruption. Volcanoes erupting in a similar manner are also known (or dubbed) by the same name.
• The impact of the eruption was such that the Sarno river changed its course and the sea beach was raised. Many physical features of this area were altered, with the vegetation at the foot of the mountain being denuded.
• This Neapolitan volcano is the only volcano in the continent of Europe, which has erupted within the last century. After 79 AD, the volcano erupted in 1631, the eruption was so massive that a heavy blanket of volcanic ash covered Southern Europe. The ash also spewed 750 miles (about 1,200 kilometers) away till Constantinople or modern-day Istanbul.
• Vesuvius erupted in 18th century (6 times) and also in the 19th century, especially in 1872. In the 20th century, it erupted in 1906, 1929 and 1944 witnessed its last eruption. These eruptions were not so forceful as to cause huge damage like the 79 AD one.
• Post 1944, there have been no reports of its activity, though it is still considered to be an active volcano. Sometimes smoke can be seen emanating from the vent of the mountain, even in the absence eruption signs.
• Mount Vesuvius is considered to be a dangerous volcano due to the fact that about 3,000,000 people live near the location.
• In the present, this volcano site has been converted into a tourist destination, with people from across the globe traveling to Naples just to view the crater. The National Park of Vesuvius was established in the year 1995, which offers guided tours within 200 meter radius of the summit.
• The rest of the journey to get a glimpse of the scenic view of Naples is carried out by foot. The crater which is located approximately 1,282 meters above sea level, with a width of 600 meters, can still be seen emitting sulfuric smoke.

These were some of the interesting Mount Vesuvius facts for kids as well as for people who are interested in unearthing the mysteries of the Earth. However, volcanoes often pose a threat to the people, due to unpredictability of eruptions, which can cause danger to life forms.