We are creating the world's most trusted encyclopedia and knowledge base. Once you join us and log in, you'll be able to edit this page instantly!

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is an active volcano on the Bay of Naples, southern Italy. Its last eruption was in 1944, the most recent of any volcano on mainland Europe.

Mount Vesuvius is believed to be one of the remnants of a supervolcano which formed the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius and other volcanic areas nearby, such as Solfatara. The original volcano was formed by a subduction zone. This was when the African plate was subducted underneath the larger Eurasian plate, causing it to melt into magma. This magma was pushed upwards because it had a lower density than the rock above it, and reached the surface in the form of a volcano.