For both historic and contemporary reasons, Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanoes in the western world. The eruption of AD 79 (of Vesuvius’ precursor Monte Somma), which buried Pompeii, Herculaneum and other surrounding towns and villages and killed Pliny the Elder, the Roman admiral, natural historian and man of all parts, has ensured this volcano's place in history. Today, Vesuvius is one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes since it has not had a major eruption for some 200 years and is situated within 10 km of suburban Naples and a population of a million and more.
Alwyn Scarth's biography of Monte Somma, Vesuvius and the whole Campanian volcanic field in southwest Italy takes an historical approach to the development of volcanism in the region. He starts 35,000 years ago with the impressive eruption of the Campi Flegrei volcano, which lies to the west of modern Naples. At that time it expelled some 500 km3 ‘of glowing dust, ash and pumice in an enormous cloud, which formed great ashflows of phonolite. . .over an area of 30,000 km2. . .and reached thickness of 60 m in many places’. Then some 25,000 years ago the Somma region to the east of modern Naples joined in and has since produced a dozen or so major eruptions and another couple of dozen and more significant eruptions up to 1944. The last major eruptions were in 1631 and 1794, so over 200 years ago, and there are fears that another big one is due. Inevitably, the eruptions of AD 79 and 1631 and the subsequent discovery and excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum are covered in considerable detail along with the history of the scientific observation and discovery of the geology of the volcano in which Sir William Hamilton played a pioneering role whilst his wife Emma was latterly entertaining Nelson in 1799.
Finally, Scarth discusses the current problems of prediction associated with future eruptions in the region such as the recent ‘bradyseismic’ movements of the ground around Pozzuoli in the Campi Flegrei region, which may herald changes in the magma level associated with future eruptions. As he says, ‘forecasting when Vesuvius will erupt again is perhaps the most important question in volcanic Europe. . .but it is still impossible to make an accurate long-term forecast of even the year when the next eruption will occur’.
Vesuvius’ biographical details provide a salutary tale of human need, adaptation, short-term memory and wishful thinking over the centuries. How many times do people have to be reminded of the dangers of ‘playing with fire’? But the pressures of survival, the temptations provided by of fertile volcanic soils and the seemingly lengthy pauses between eruptions on the human lifetime scale have led millions of needy people around the world to live within the shadows of potentially lethal volcanoes. Scarth tells a gripping historical tale for the general reader and whilst the geology will be familiar to those in the profession, it provides an excellent well illustrated introduction for the student and plenty of fascinating detail that will be unfamiliar to all but specialist volcanologists.
