Mount Vesuvius
We next meet another guide, Mario, where we joined 12 other people on a bus to hike to the caldera of Mount Vesuvius.
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano that is formed by the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. It has erupted many times in history, with of course the most notable being in 79 AD. The most notable are 1800 BC, 79 AD, 472, 1631, and lastly in 1944. The many eruptions leading up to 1944 meant that this eruption was not very explosive. We saw the lava fields from that eruption. It is estimated that the next eruption will be very explosive. That, and the fact that 3 million people live at its base in Naples makes this volcano one of the most deadly out there. Its activity is closely monitored, and seems to be sleeping for now. However, on the other side of Naples is the Phlegraean Fields, a large caldera volcano, that is increasingly of concern. Just March of this year there was a large earthquake (4.4 magnitude) and other signs of activity. In response to the rising threat, Italian authorities have an evacuation plan to relocate over a half million people in just 3 days. However, after seeing their city, traffic, and using the public transportation there, I hope it is enough!!
Fun fact- before the 79AD Pompeii eruption, there Mount Somma–Vesuvius volcano was about 2-3km tall. Now there are two peaks, Mount Somma (1,132 m) and Mount Vesuvius (1,281 m).