Mount Vesuvius- Natural Disaster
By: Arianya Sather-Gonzalez Period:6 Mount Vesuvius’ eruption caused mass destruction and many deaths. It was a drastic event that has been recorded in the hearts of many. This great tragedy occurred on the 24th of August, 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, erupted in a rather unexpected way. Mount Vesuvius sprayed poisonous volcanic gases, and sent clouds of ash into the air. If you weren’t crushed and suffocated by ash, you choked to death on the poisonous gases. Historians have learned how Mount Vesuvius’ eruption looked, and how devastating it was by reading an account from the eyewitness Pliny the Younger. Pliny the Younger watched Mt. Vesuvius erupt. He describes it as, “...broad sheets …show more content…
Vesuvius had some rather significant effects on the biosphere. Mt. Vesuvius’ had some rather negative effects. Aside from spewing ash and poisonous gases into the air, it destroyed everything around it. The people that were outside were pelted with large rocks that were being spewed from the volcano. The most famous effect was the people getting covered in ashes. Many Romans died. After the eruption occurred, everything around the volcano was dead. “...all of the surrounding areas were destroyed and almost every living creature was perished as a result of the eruption. But, due to the pyroclastic material, the animals and people are still in the position they were when they were buried.” (Aparna, Nick, and Graham. "Environmental and Human Effects." Mt. Vesuvius. Weebly, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.) Another effect on the biosphere is, when volcanoes erupt, they release many things. Some of these are gases and raw materials. One of the most common gases is Carbon Dioxide. These gases and raw materials create coal and oil deposits. After a while, the plants and animals will start moving back into that area. This is a really good effect, considering lava and ash kills all of the plants it touches. The effect of Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption was deadly, but it had some good effects as