Vesuvius

====  Vesuvius is a volcano that destroyed the city of Pompeii killing many people. Vesuvius was located only a few miles away from Pompeii and remained dormant for many years. The people of Pompeii did not know that Vesuvius was a volcano.(Nardo, Don; 8 – 9) A sign that Vesuvius was dangerous was when Pompeii had earthquakes in 62 AD. On August 24 79 AD the volcano erupted and sent smoke and ash into the air, which started to rain ash and stones.(Minnesota State University) Mud, tufa, ash, and stone started seeping through the sides of Vesuvius and covered many nearby farms and villas.(Bunson, Matthew; 445) The volcano had many toxic gasses which, first, made its victims delirious and then suffocated them. (Minnesota State University) Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger lived in the Gulf of Naples. Pliny the Elder put himself in harms way to see the eruption and died. Pliny the Younger stayed a far distance and watched the eruption from across the bay. Pliny the Younger recorded all that he saw in the eruption.(Nardo, Don; 9) “’My uncle … saw at once that it [the eruption] was important enough for closer inspection,’ the younger Pliny wrote.”(Nardo, Don; 9)  ==== ==== The people of Pompeii were doomed. Some people tried to flee, but there was no where to go. Others decided to stayed in the streets until the masses of panicked people were gone. People also tried to seal themselves in rooms. They thought they poisonous gasses and rocks could not get them there.(Minnesota State University) However the people that hid in rooms died when the buildings collapsed. The people of Pompeii were overcome by the gasses or buried in 30 feet of mineral deposits.(Minnesota State University) When the mineral deposits hardened it formed a cast of the people at their last moments. These casts were almost perfectly preserved. ====