Mount Vesuvius, the mighty Italian volcano that destroyed the Roman city of Pompei, has been gradually transforming into a less menacing presence, according to a new study. Researchers studied rock samples from four different eruptions, from the Pompei disaster in 79 AD to the Pollena eruption in 472 AD, and determined the pressure and temperature conditions under which the rocks were formed; the results showed that the magma chamber had gradually shifted upward throughout the centuries. This makes eruptions less dangerous, researchers say, because magma at shallower depths is under less pressure.
Researchers keep a careful eye on the towering volcano, for good reason. The blast in 79 AD was so violent that it covered Pompeii in nearly 100 feet of ash. If Vesuvius erupted today, it could kill up to 700,000 people in southern Italy, including the residents of Naples [Scientific American]. The last eruption was in 1944, when lava flowed down the volcano’s flanks and demolished several villages and military staging grounds.
