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This list is based mainly on
the remarkable 1631-1944 eruption log compiled by Scandone
et al. (1993), the pre-1631 data are based on Volcanoes of the World
(1994 edition).
- -5960±100
- ca. -3580
- -1740±150
- before -800
- before -600
- 24-28(±1)
August 79: Pompei Plinian eruption, probably more than 3500
deaths
- 172
- 203
- 222-235
- 379-395
- 5-6 November 472
- 9 November 505
- 8 July 512
- 536
- February-March (?) 685
- 787
- November or December 968
- 991 (uncertain)
- 999 (uncertain)
- 1007
- 27 January 1037
- 1049
- 1073±5
- 1-9 June 1139: vigorous
lava emission
- 1150 (uncertain)
- 1270 (uncertain, not probable)
- 1347 (not probable)
- 1500 (if any eruption occurred
in this year, it was only a small phreatic event, but may also have
been a landslide within the crater or increased fumarolic activity)
- 15
December 1631 - late January 1632: sub-Plinian eruption with
devastating tephra falls and pyroclastic flows, probably more than 4000
killed
- 1 July 1637 - 31 December
1652: intermittent minor activity within great 1631 crater
- 25 February 1654 - 28
March 1680, including major activity on
- 3-29 July 1660: vigorous
explosive eruption; tephra falls cause damage in villages around
the volcano; glowing avalanches reported on 6 July
- 26-28 March 1680: sub-cycle
closing eruption with ash falls around the volcano
- 12-22 August 1682: vigorous
eruption with heavy ash falls around the volcano, lava fills part of
the 1631 crater. 4 fatalities are recorded
- 3 October 1685 - 29 April
1694: sub-cycle, ending with a final eruption on
- 13-29 April 1694: vigorous
explosive and effusive activity, with lava overflowing on the outer
flanks of the Vesuvian cone for the first time in the new (post
1631) eruptive cycle. No major damage is reported
- 31 July 1696 - 15 July
1698: sub-cycle, with notable activity on
- 31 July - 14 August
1696: lava effusion onto the outer flanks of Vesuvio cone, follwing
the path of the 1694 flow
- 15 September 1697 -
9 January 1698: up to eight episodes of increased lava emission
on the flanks of the cone, with one lava flow stopping only 1 km
from Torre del Greco
- 19 May - 15 July 1698:
sub-cycle closing eruption with increased explosive activity and
lava emission
- 1 July 1701 - 22 August
1707: sub-cycle, with notable activity on
- 1-15 July 1701: lava
emission from fracture on E side of the cone and increased tephra
emission
- 19-23 May 1704: vigorous
Strombolian activity
- 29 July - 22 August
1707: final eruption with lava flows from flank fractures and violent
damaging tephra falls
- 5 February 1712 - 8 July
1723: sub-cycle, with notable activity occurring on
- April-May 1712: occasional
lava flows onto the outer flanks of the cone
- 25 October - 8 November
1712: occasional lava outflows
- 12 April - 25 May 1713:
occasional lava outflow
- 15-30 June 1714: lava
flows on the flanks, tephra emission
- 6-18 June and 22-26
December 1717: lava flows from fractures on S and E flanks
- 3 September 1718 - 9
July 1719: intermittent lava emission onto N flank
- 20 April - 8 July 1723:
final eruption with initial explosive activity, then lava flows
and powerful explosive activity. Damage in surrounding towns by
tephra falls
- 4 September 1724 - 1
April 1730: sub-cycle, with notable activity occurring on
- 4-29 September 1724:
explosive and effusive summit activity
- 10 January - 15 August
1728: intermittent lava outflow and explosive summit activity
- 27 February - 1 April
1730: final eruption with vigorous tephra and lava emission, collapse
of the summit at the end of the eruption
- 25 December 1732 - 4
June 1737: sub-cycle, with notable activity on
- 25 December 1732 - 10
January 1734: explosive summit activity with intermittent lava flows
onto the flanks of the cone
- 1-30 July 1735: lava
flow
- 14 May - 4 June 1737:
devastating final eruption with lava from a fracture on the SW flank;
lava flow destroys much of Torre del Greco and heavy damage in many
towns by tephra falls
- 1 November 1744 - 6 January
1761: sub-cycle, with many episodes of increased activity, such
as
- 25 October 1751 - 25
February 1752: lava outflow on SE flank
- 2 December 1754 - 27
March 1759: intermittent lava from fractures on the SE and E sides
of the cone and summit explosive activity; later lava overflows
frequently from summit crater towards W and N flanks
- 29-31 March 1759: lava
flows on W and E flanks cause significant damage
- 6 November 1759 - 22
December 1760: frequent lava overflows onto the S flank with flows
reaching cultivated land and causing damage
- 23 December 1760 - 6
January 1761: final eruption; a new fracture forms on the S flank
at about 27 m elevation; lava moves towards Torre Annunziata and
destroys cultivated land; further damage in other towns by heavy
tephra falls
- 1 July 1764 - 27 October
1767: sub-cycle, with episodes of increased activity on the following
dates:
- 28 March - 15 December
1766: lava from the summit crater and from fractures on the upper
flanks of the cone with lava towards S and NE
- 19-27 Octobewr 1767:
final eruption with fracturing of the active cone on the NNW side,
strong explosive activity but lava does not reach inhabited areas
- 15 February 1770 - 13
August 1779: sub-cycle, with notable activity occurring several
times:
- 15 February - 30 April
1770: increasingly vigorous Strombolian activity followed by lava
flow from E flank fracture in mid-March, repeated lava effusion
until the end of April
- 1-30 May 1771: lava
effusion from a flank fracture towards W, damage to cultivated land
- 29 December 1773 - 1
February 1774: lava repeatedly overflows NE rim of crater and moves
down the N flank
- 4 August - 1 December
1774: renewed lava effusion on N flank
- 20 December 1775 - 3
April 1776: lava effusion from flank fractures, mainly on the N
and NW sides
- 29 July - 13 August
1779: final eruption, beginning with lava flow from a NNE flank
fracture, later new fractures open on the N and NE flanks. At midnight
on 8 August, the first episode of violent lava fountaining (up to
2000 m above the crater) occurs, followed by another during the
succeeding night. Vigorous tephra emission continues for about a
week, and much destruction is caused by the fall of pyroclastics,
mainly in Ottaviano, Somma and other villages in the N to NE sector
of the volcano. Several people are killed
- 18 August 1783 - 5 July
1794: sub-cycle, with episodes of increased activity on the following
dates:
- 1 July 1785 - 30 November
1787: Strombolian summit activity is followed in August 1787 by
lava outflow to Fosso della Vetrana; this flow eventually reaches
and destroys Romitorio dei Padri Basiliani
- 1-15 August 1788: lava
from a flank fracture
- 5 September - 16 November
1790: vigorous explosive activity and episodic lava outflow towards
W and S; powerful explosive activity in October-November
- 16 June - 5 July 1794:
final eruption; vigorous lava emission from SW and NE flank fractures.
The SW flank flow soon completely overwhelms Torre del Greco (its
third destruction in less than 170 years), building a new peninsula
out into the sea. Vigorous tephra emission follows, causing total
destruction in Somma, Ottaviano and S. Anastasia. Lahars occur during
and after the eruption. This is one of the most devastating eruptions
of the 1631-1944 cycle, with about 400 casualties. The summit loses
121 m in height
- 15 January 1796 - 16
November 1822: long-lasting sub-cycle with numerous episodes of
strongly increased activity, such as:
- 12 August - 28 November
1804: repeated lava flows invade areas of cultivated land on the
SW flank, causing extensive damage
- 12 August - 19 October
1805: vigorous lava fountaining and rapid lava outflow on the SW
flank; five lava flows reach the base of the cone and one enters
the sea S of Torre del Greco (not shown on the Geological
Map that predates the 1987 map in Santacroce et al.); in mid-October,
lava flows stop at short distance from rebuilt Torre del Greco
- 31 May - 9 June 1806:
lava flows again discharge onto the SW flank, essentially in the
same area as those of the preceding year; one arm enters the sea
on top of the 1805 lobe S of Torre del Greco; damage in Ottaviano
by tephra falls and in Torre del Greco by the lava
- 4-5 September 1809:
lava from SE flank fracture
- 11-22 September 1810:
lava flows reach the base of the cone north of the 1804-1806 lavas
- 1 January - 28 February
1812: lava from flank fracture moves towards SW
- 9 October 1813 - 28
February 1814: minor lava outflow onto the outer flanks of the central
cone and onto the caldera floor
- 22-26 December 1817:
lava flows from NE and SW flank fractures
- February 1819: lava
overflows onto the E flank
- 1 December 1819 - 31
May 1820: lava from fractures on the upper NW and W flanks
- 15 January - 28 February
1822: increased explosive activity with lava outflow
- 21 October - 16 November
1822: final eruption; violent lava fountaining and small glowing
avalanches, lava effusion from vents mainly on the E and SW flanks;
explosive activity is strongest on 23-24 October
- 2 July 1824 - 2 September
1834: sub-cycle, with increased activity occurring on the following
dates:
- 14 August 1831 - 23
December 1832: intermittent lava overflows from the summit crater
- 25 May - 15 June 1833:
repeated lava flows, mainly on the SW flank
- 27 November 1833 - 16
January 1834: repeated lava effusion from SW flank fractures
- 22 August - 2 September
1834: final eruption; strong explosive activity and lava effusion
from vents on the E flank; eruption is accompanied by lahars
- 1 January 1835 - 3 January
1839: sub-cycle, with increased activity as follows:
- 1 January 1835 - 31
December 1839: summit activity, mainly Strombolian; lava outflow
in March 1838
- 1-3 January 1839: final
eruption; lava flow towards W, later effusion from fractures on
E and W flanks and strong explosive activity; lava fountains to
400 m above summit and tephra falls towards S
- 20 September 1841 - 16
February 1850: sub-cycle, with quasi-continuous summit activity
during all these years; then finally on:
- 5-16 February 1850:
final eruption, initially with lava effusion from N flank fissure;
the lava traverses the Atrio del Cavallo towards E and then SE;
strong explosive activity during the last days of the eruption
- 14 December 1854 - 27
May 1855: very short sub-cycle, the final eruption occurring on:
- 1-27 May 1855: explosive
activity and opening of new vents on the N flank; lava moves to
the W on the caldera floor (Fosso della Vetrana), arriving at S.
Sebastiano and Massa di Somma (on the NW flank of the volcano),
causing some damage
- 19 December 1855 - 31
December 1861: sub-cycle, with significant activity occurring during
the following periods:
- 27 May 1858 - 12 April
1861: intermittent lava effusion from flank vents in the Piano delle
Ginestre, causing damage to arable land
- 8-31 December 1861:
final eruption, with the formation of a spectacular fracture on
the low SSW flank; several conelets form on the fracture and lava
moves towards Torre del Greco and Resina (now called Ercolano);
damage caused by ground fracturing but the lava does not reach any
of the towns; explosive summit activity during the last days of
activity
- 10 February 1864 - 26
November 1868: sub-cycle, with notable activity on the following
dates:
- 15 November 1867 - 31
May 1868: intermittent lava overflows from summit crater and later
from a fissure on the ESE flank; occasional strong explosive activity
- 15-26 November 1868:
final eruption; lava from NW flank fissure with flows moving down
Fosso della Vetrana and Fosso Faraone, explosive summit activity
- December 1870 - 30 April
1872: sub-cycle, with notable activity during all of 1871 and through
April 1872; followed by a final eruption on:
- 24-30 April 1872: lava
flows from NW flank fissures; formation of a new large fracture
on the NW flank (accompanied by a large avalanche from the cone)
with about 25 tourists killed; lava flows down the Fosso della Vetrana
and Fosso Faraone, destroying parts of S. Sebastiano and Massa;
strong explosive activity at summit during final stages of the eruption
- 18 December 1875 - 22
April 1906: 30-years-long sub-cycle, including numerous episodes
and periods of increased activity, most notably on the following dates:
- 1878-1880: lava effusion
from fracture on upper NW flank, growth of a new intracrateral cone,
1872 crater gradually filled with lava
- 16 December 1881 - 31
March 1884: lava effusion from subterminal bocca on the upper E
flank, building a conspicuous lava apron, NNW flank effusion on
9 January 1884
- 2 May 1885 - 1 July
1886: lava from fractures on the NE and SE flanks, with flows reaching
base of the cone in the direction of Boscotrecase
- 16-19 April 1887: lava
flows to SE and increased explosive activity
- 1 May - 30 September
1889: lava effusion (direction unknown) and collapse of the summit
cone with formation of a new pit several hundred m wide
- 7 June 1891 - 3 June
1894: long-lived effusive activity first from vents on the N flank
(900-1000 m elevation), later from vents down to 830 m elevation
on the 1868 fracture (NW flank); formation of a broad lava cupola
(often described as a "lava dome" but actually a pile of numerous
superposed lava flows) named Colle Margherita; at the end of this
activity, lava completely fills the (previously 200 m deep) summit
crater
- 4 June 1894 - 2 July
1895: brief lava flow into the Atrio del Cavallo (the caldera floor)
on 24 June 1895; by early July 1895 a new summit cone has grown
150 m above the former crater rim
- 3 July 1895 - 7 September
1899: long-lived effusive activity from new vents at 1185-750 m
elevation on WNW flank (slightly above the Observatory Hill), building
a large (120 m high) shield of superposed lava flows that is named
Colle Umberto; this is accompanied by successive collapse events
on the summit leading to the formation of a new crater with an initial
depth of 200 m (later decreased to 60 m due to landsliding)
- 9-10 May 1900: vigorous
explosive activity from the summit crater
- 27 August 1903 - 30
September 1904: numerous episodes of summit Strombolian activity
alternating with collapse of intracrateral conelets and lava effusion
from fractures on the WNW flank, building a new, 40 m high, lava
shield near Colle Umberto
- 1905 - early 1906: vigorous
growth of a new summit cone that eventually fills the summit crater
and builds the volcano to an unprecedented height of 1335 m (May
1905)
- March to early April
1906: near-continuous lava effusion from subterminal vents on the
NW flank, lava flows reach the railway carrying to the electric
funicular near the Observatory
- 4-22 April 1906: final
eruption, one of the largest since 1631, with lava effusion from
vents on the S flank (down to 600 m elevation) and flows moving
towards Torre Annunziata, two lava arms move across Boscotrecase
village, destroying numerous buildings and reaching as far as the
Circumvesuviana railway; rapidly increasing explosive activity from
summit crater from 5 to 7 April, with incandescent ejecta to 1-2
km above summit on the evening of the 7th; very powerful lava fountaining
continues through the afternoon of the 8th when an incandescent
colum rises as much as 13 km above the summit; the summit of the
cone is destroyed during this period (Perret
(1924) describes the shattering of the summit as "the falling
of the petals of a flower"); very heavy and devastating tephra fallout
in the E to NNE sectors of the volcano, San Giuseppe and Ottaviano
almost completely destroyed and more than 500 people killed; gradually
decreasing explosive activity from the evening of 8 April on, with
ash being carried in all directions; after the eruption the summit
is found to be at least 170 m lower than before.
- 5 July 1913 - 4 April
1944: 30-years-long sub-cycle, with almost continuous activity from
an intracrateral cone, including numerous episodes and periods of increased
activity, most notably on the following dates:
- 5 July 1913 - November
1926: growth of a new intracrateral cone and frequent lava emissions
from that cone lead to a gradual filling of the vast 1906 crater
- 27-28 November 1926:
for the first time since 1906, lava overflows from the summit crater
onto the outer slopes of the active cone; the overflow occurs on
the NE crater rim where it is lowest; flows reach the Valle dell'Inferno
and move E along the base of the Somma wall
- 1-2 August 1927: lava
overflows again the NE crater wall, following the course of the
1926 lava flow
- 11-12 August 1928: still
another overflow of lava onto the NE flank, this time reaching farther
E than the previous (1927 and 1926) lava flows
- 3-8 June 1929: strongly
increased Strombolian activity from the intracrateral cone culminates
in vigorous Hawaiian-style lava fountaining to about 500 m high
and voluminous lava overflow onto the NE flank, down to the E across
the Valle dell'Inferno and onto the outer (eastern) Somma flanks
towards Terzigno; several houses are destroyed in the village of
Campetiello; the intracrateral cone is largely destroyed by this
activity
- 11-30 July 1930: lava
overflows the crater rim on the NE flank, covering the upper part
of the 1929 lava flow
- 2 October - 9 November
1930: lava overflows to the E
- 1 June 1933 - 19 November
1934: lava overflows to the NE
- 12 February - 31 March
1935: lava overflows to the E
- 8 July - 21 August 1935:
lava flows into the Valle dell'Inferno
- 28 March - 24 September
1936: episodic lava overflow onto the E flank
- 4 June - 7 July 1937:
lava flows into the Valle dell'Inferno
- 8-9 August 1939: lava
flow reaches the Valle dell'Inferno
- 26 June - 31 July 1940:
lava overflows N crater rim and extends down to the Atrio del Cavallo
- 22 October 1941 - 15
December 1942: lava overflows the crater rim in numerous directions,
also onto the S, ESE and SSE flanks (for the first time after the
1906 eruption); the lava fronts reach about 600 m elevation; growth
of two new lava aprons
- 6 January - 23 February
1944: lava overflows onto the S flank (for the first time after
the 1906 eruption)
- 18 March - 4 April 1944:
final eruption, ending the eruptive cycle begun in 1631; after 18
March, lava repeatedly overflows the N crater rim, reaching the
base of the Somma wall and turning W, covering the Atrio del Cavallo
and Fosso della Vetrana (a valley lying north of the Observatory
Hill); on 21 March the lava reaches the villages of San Sebastiano
and Massa on the lower NNW flank, causing their partial destruction;
that afternoon there occurs the first of 8 episodes of vigorous
lava fountaining that last until the evening of 22 March; the last
and most vigourous fountaining episode causes heavy tephra showering
in the W, SW and E sectors of the volcano, causing damage in the
Terzigno area (most of the reported 26 deaths of this eruption are
probably due to this tephra fall); eruption columns rise to 6-7
km above sea-level and numerous small glowing avalanches descend
on all sides of the active cone; decreasing activity after 23 March;
the crater shifts to the south, building a new high rim on the NE
side.
Since early April 1944, Vesuvio
has remained in a state of repose, the longest repose period since the one
ending in 1631.
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