A Looming Threat

So how many of you can say they climbed a live volcano? I have traveled up this winding trail more than once. I love the outdoors, and to climb this structure and look down upon history is an exhilarating feeling. Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times in 79 A.D. It is renowned for burying Pompeii and the nearby Herculaneum. What many people forget is that after Pompeii was buried, the volcano continued to erupt every 100 years. It did enter a 600-year time frame of quiescence. However, its destructive power was seen again in 1631. It has been silent since 1944, causing it to give off a very looming air of fear. Though, people seem to forget its power as they flock in large tourist groups around the mountain. Its great power and destructive tendencies, along with the thrilling mystery of its next eruption, cause people from all over the world to come and snap pictures.  

Living not too far from this mountain, I was constantly reminded of its exceedingly overdue eruption. On the naval base in Naples, we were constantly reminded of evacuation plans if it were to erupt. Living right by the water, there was no question that our homes and life as we knew it could be swept away by a title wave from the explosion. We all knew, though, that if it were to erupt again, there would not be enough time to evacuate us all. I can’t help but to think of all that pressure building up inside. The type of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius is not the typical lava depicted scene portrayed in cartoons. During eruption a column of varying material that has built up over time is ejected into the air. It creates a mushroom cloud of suffocation that eventually coats all land surrounding it. The debris then is spread by the wind for hours after. In summary, southern Italy might cease to exist if this volcano decided to come to life again. So you might want to think twice before joining that tour guide group to climb its mighty sides.

sources:
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/penny101/info.html