Justin's First Blog

Almost 2,000 years ago one of the most iconic volcano eruptions occurred in Italy and not only has the world not forgotten, but it's one of the most studied volcanic places on earth.  Scientists from around the world study what’s considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world (due to its proximity with the human population).  Mount Vesuvius, the only active volcano on mainland Europe, is not only responsible for destroying the once vibrant city of Pompeii, but also preserving it.  After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, what is known as a “pyroclastic flow” engulfed the city.  This simply put, is a mixture of deadly gas and ash which contributed to the 2,000 casualties.  The city stayed preserved by being completely covered in approximately 20 feet of ash.   At the moment, Italy is home to three active volcanoes.  All 3 volcanoes are stratovolcanoes.  The most active volcano in Europe is on Mount Etna. The last eruption occurred only a couple of months ago. It s

As I learned last week, Italy is the resident of two major tectonic plates.  It comes to me no surprise that almost the entire country is either in a moderate or major earthquake hazard area.  Looking at the seismic hazard map, the biggest and most likely seismic occurrences primarily occur smack dab in the middle of Italy running south along the mountain ranges.  On the "latest quakes" link you can input Italy and in a 1 year time span Italy has experienced roughly 50 earthquakes with an average magnitude around 5.  Below I've included a chart from National Geographic that simplifies and puts into perspective the energy created from a seismic event.  While the magnitude of 5 energy shows the energy exhausted in relationship with candy bars, the next step up at 6 shows how devastating these events truly are.   Italy currently does not seem prepared to deal with another major seismic event.  Italy is inundated with historical building which not only require cutting through