Vesuvius

On the European continent there are now only one active volcano - Vesuvius. In addition, there is some news about eruptions in historical times Flegreyskih fields and Mefany in Greece. Among the burning mountains Vesuvius particularly attracts travelers and well-studied, since together with Flegreyskimi fields he satisfactorily explains most of the phenomena, then we'll start with him and our familiarity with volcanoes. Who has seen the neighborhood of Naples, he could not pay attention to the contrasts between the separate parts of the bay, they create those kinds of charming, which is famous for this area. If the part of Naples, with that part of the coast, where lies the aquarium, look at the sea, the distance be presented chain of high jagged mountains, formed by light limestone and outliers among the entire area; it - chain Monte Angelo (the ancient Mons Lactarius); it begins in the vicinity of Salerno and Amalfi, down the slopes of Castellammare and Sorrento, and ends at the Cape of Minerva (Punta Campanella case) the continuation of the chain is already the island of Capri. This series of limestone hills of Cretaceous system limits the bay from the south-east and a spur of the Apennines, it is formed by ancient marine sediments, and has nothing to do with the volcanic phenomena. Sarno river system with its large tributaries separates chain Monte Angelo from Vesuvius, the majestic cone of its semi-circle and the Somme sharply distinguished by their dark masses among environmental change, they can serve as an excellent example of the volcano, active for a long time, and present a striking contrast to the long chain Monte Angelo . Another character is the area located to the west, there is no trace of separate craters, but the volcanic material is everywhere; friable products eruption - ash, sand and so-called lapilli (or rapilli) - piled in heaps and the water turned them into volcanic tuff, which are make the soil a happy campaign. To the west of Naples in Cape Pozilippo visible again clear traces of volcanic activity, from the island and Nizity Camaldoli to Capo Mizeno stretch numerous small and large craters. Pyanura in Camaldoli, Solfatara, astronomer, Gaurus, Monte Nuovo, Avernskoe Anyanskoe and lakes, etc. - all the craters of the same volcanic area, the whole system of volcanoes, the eruption did not occur from one central point, as we see in the Vesuvius but from a number of emerging and disappearing holes. Therefore, we could not have formed a large mountain, the whole area was covered by a set of cones placed near each other. The island of Procida and Ischia, components continued Flegreyskih fields close to the limestone islands of Capri and close to the south a vast gulf of Naples. Vesuvius with his foot took 33 / 4 square. geogr. miles, it rises 595 meters above sea level in the form of sloping cone and serves as a foot of two mountains - the Somme and the actual cone of Vesuvius. Somma is semi-circular shaft, sloping down the slopes to the village Somme, Ottayyano, etc., and terminating steep ledges to the central cone. On either side of half-circle cut the Somme; the other half of the ring is a flat terrace of Le Piano, surrounding the whole Vesuvius, it is well known to every visitor to Mount Vesuvius, here goes smooth road from the observatory to the place where usually rising to a cone of Vesuvius, and where the station has recently built ropeway. In the center of the circle formed by the Somme and terrace Piano, stands the main peak of Mount Vesuvius, which is modern and the crater. This - a steep cone with slopes of 30 - 31 °. On the Somme it is separated by a semi-circular canyon wild Amrio a del Cavallo, which is located approximately 300 m below the Somme and at 480 m below the central cone. Type the mountains is different from different sides: from Naples to see both the top: left Somme, the right cone of Vesuvius, Somma seems from this side as a cone, as is addressed to the Vesuvius is not steep walled atrio, and its main ridge, which stretches toward the observatory . At a small distance of the picture is changing: south of Cape Pozilippo, with a small island Nizita, Somma and Vesuvius are presented in the form of a mountain. Fig. 141. Made from a photograph, depicts a volcano with this place, it clearly shows how our eyes can exaggerate the height and steepness of the mountains. Someone drove by the Cape Pozilippo to Pozzuoli and looked at Vesuvius from where take a picture, one imagines this volcano is very steep and very high mountain stood out sharply on the horizon, but candid camera is a camera shows what really goes down a sloping slopes of Vesuvius that only at the very top is steep. This shows how little we can rely on the eye in determining the height of the mountains ... Again, a new form takes Vesuvius, if you look at it from another side: at the entrance to the Gulf of Naples traveler sees a cone, standing right in front of the steep cliffs of the Somme. If going from the northwest, the ring Monte Somme quite conceals Vesuvius. Somme retains its shape and height, despite the minor changes that are the result of weathering, for 1800 years it has remained roughly unchanged. On the contrary, the central cone changes its shape and size: this form he received during the eruption of 1872. About the changes of the cone, we'll talk in more detail and at the same time describe the current state of Vesuvius, describing it now would not be appropriate. Presenting the history of Vesuvius in its individual phases, we have a particular example acquainted with the nature of volcanic eruptions in general, we note, incidentally, that the history of Vesuvius is known far better story than any other was the volcano. The first eruption of which are reported to happen in 1979 by R. Chr. During this famous disaster were buried in ash Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. Until then, for many centuries, Vesuvius was inactive; of past eruptions are his only vague hints of different writers, in the tradition as the surrounding residents have not saved any memories of them, only the astute scholars on the properties of rocks forming Mount Vesuvius, believed it extinct volcano . Predvozvestnikom first eruption was an earthquake in 1963 by P. Chr., It turned the whole neighborhood in the wilderness, and destroyed part of Pompeii, however, the city will soon be built again from scratch. On a prayer altar was found bas-reliefs depicting the fall of one of the temples of the forum. Taking into account the topographical situation of the town, and is easy to imagine the direction of gravity, the blow was, apparently, is directed from east to west, the location of cracks in buildings also confirms this conclusion. 16 years later, in 1979 by P. Chr., There was a volcanic mountain activities, she found a startling, rarely observed force, it was a terrible paroxysm, after a long rest. An eruption, we have some information, and the first place is occupied by two letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus. Pliny, who lived in the Mizzen, was a young man when there was a terrible event, a victim who became his great uncle, Pliny the Elder. The catastrophe has started strong earthquake, then rose from the crater of a huge pinieobraznoe (as he calls Pliny) white cloud of water vapor, sometimes rocks and volcanic ash, spewed out a mountain, told him black. Water vapor ejected from the crater with terrible force formed a huge column, but at a considerable height, where the initial impetus was no longer able to act, they were distributed to the parties; of the branches of gigantic pines began falling rocks and ash and leaked scary torrents of rain, accompanied by lightning terrifying force. This characteristic shape of the clouds and still preserves all the works the name given to it by Pliny: it is called a filamentary cloud (Pinus pinaea - «stone-pine" - the Italian pine). The earthquake was getting stronger, and when the eruption of volcanic ash had reached its greatest strength, it has ceased; but the number is pulled out from the crater of ash and stones became so enormous that at the other side of the Bay of Naples, the Mizeny, the sun was closed by them. Among the day came the darkness, "it can not be compared with the darkness of a moonless cloudy night, it looked like the darkness that comes in the room when the lights went out there." Even in this remote area of ??Vesuvius "is often needed to get up and otryahat ashes: otherwise he would fall asleep man and pressed him to his weight, all subjects were covered in ash like snow." Lava poured out, it seems a bit and now have no doubt found that Pompey and other cities were filled with ash and small stones, the so-called lapilli, or rapilli. Torrents of rain, Flowing from the pines, the ash turned to liquid mud, and she brooks flowed down the slopes of the mountains and ruined everything in its path. This explains the origin of tufa, which invests the dead city of solidified ash formed voids the corresponding form of buried objects, filling them with plaster, you can now get a full models of dead people, etc. At first glance it seems strange that the eruption produced the terrible devastation of the water . But this is not an exceptional case: in general we can say that streams of water flows from the volcanic cloud, or by themselves, in conjunction with the ashes and turn them into mud, often produce the same terrible destruction, as well as lava. Below, we will get acquainted with the terrible catastrophe of this kind that occurred in Java, in Gunung Gelungunga in 1823