Today’s post is about famous volcanic landmarks.
[Cover photo: Mount Vesuvius, Naples Italy]
vol·ca·no
välˈkānō
noun
a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth’s crust.
My first experience with volcanic landscapes was in Puerto de la Cruz, on the island of Tenerife, Canary islands. Refer to earlier article. This is a chain of seven islands, located off North Africa’s west coast, which began to emerge from the ocean depths about 23 million years ago.
Tenerife’s volcano, Mount Teide and its surroundings comprise Teide National Park, which has an area of 18,900 hectares (73 sq mi) and was named a World Heritage site in 2007. It is one of the most visited National Parks in the world, with a total of 2.8 million visitors and the most visited natural wonder of Spain. – Wikipedia
[Photo Credit]
The last eruption to have occurred in Tenerife was in 1909. It started on November 18th and lasted 10 days.
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The eruption of Mount Vesuvius, located in the Gulf of Naples, Italy was responsible for the demise of Roman cities Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD. From Wikipedia:
That eruption ejected a cloud of stones, ash and fumes to a height of 33 km (20.5 mi), spewing molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima bombings. An estimated 16,000 people died.
Hubby and I visited the ruins at Pompeii in 1990 and were in awe of how the volcanic ash had preserved everything.
[Photo Credit]
Of special interest were the plaster casts of the bodies left behind:
Mount Vesuvius has erupted numerous times since Pompeii, including six times in the 18th century, eight times in the 19th century, and in 1906, 1929, and 1944. There has been no eruption since then, and none were as large or destructive as the Pompeian one.
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The volcanic islands of Santorini were featured here the other day. To re-cap:
Santorini is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island, and created the current geological caldera. A giant central, rectangular lagoon, which measures about 12 by 7 km (7.5 by 4.3 mi), is surrounded by 300 m (980 ft) high, steep cliffs on three sides. The main island slopes downward to the Aegean Sea. – Wikipedia
Like Pompeii, the settlement at Akrotiri was destroyed by a volcanic eruption around 1627 BC and buried in ash, which preserved the remains of fine Frescoes and many objects and artworks. Unlike Pompeii, the town’s residents had already fled, probably due to an earthquake, and there were no casualties. Akrotiri has been suggested as a possible inspiration for Plato’s story of Atlantis.
Slideshow photos ©DDB
We had a marvellous view of the volcano from our hotel, which was aptly named “Hotel Volcano View”:
[photos ©DDB]
Have you ever explored volcanic landscapes?
Looking forward to your comments!
#AtoZChallenge 2014: V is for VOLCANOES #dogladysden Share on X
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
30 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge: “V” is for VOLCANOES”
the plaster casrs tell a tragic story. Having read so much about volcanoes, I want to visit one such place. The view from the hotel is beautiful.
Glad you enjoyed the article. 🙂 You would love Santorini!
What an explosive post! Enjoyed this, Debbie as I always enjoy your posts. Reminds me of Latin class where we had textbooks about a family living in Pompeii just before the eruption. How devastating it was! Amazing how they have so much evidence left over from the eruption. Grisly to see all the contorted bodies in those plaster casts and yet fascinating, too.
It was a fascinating tour, Cathy and yes, a little bit macabre too.
Volcanoes have always fascinated me. Especially after I read the book about Herculaneum. The preservation of that city and it’s daily life was incredible. Great post!
Yes, the same as Pompeii. We didn’t get to Herculaneum, but I’m sure it’s just as fascinating. 🙂
The ruins at Pompei is on my places to see list. I’m sure that must’ve been awesome to see.
It was incredible, Suzy! Hope you get there one day to see for yourself. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
We lived in southern British Columbia when Mount St. Helens erupted back in 1980, and we were close enough that everything around was covered in a fine layer of ash. A little creepy, I must say!
That must have been nasty, Laurel! Same thing happened to my parents, when a brush fire broke out across the highway from them.
By the way…I took a wonderful field trip to the Pinnacles in Hollister, California. Amazing formations from this ancient volcano.
I’ll have to look that up. Thanks for the info. 🙂
Wow! The earth is truly amazing. This post is a cross between geology class I took last year and the art appreciation class I took. Beautiful view from your hotel room! That must have been quite a trip for you and your husband.
Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed the article, Linda. 🙂 Yes, that was the trip of a lifetime, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. Thanks for dropping by!
I have never seen a volcano in person. I don’t know if I ever will…so it’s great to see them through all of these great blogs!
Glad you enjoyed the article, Stephanie. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
Great post, Debbie! I had not seen the plaster casts at Pompeii before – that was haunting! Eruptions in the last decade have definitely affected our air quality and climate changes; volcanos impact lives thousands of miles away when they are active; I can’t imagine living near one that could potentially “blow”. The Big Island of Hawaii is literally volcanic rock – it was a lovely and wild place for us to explore.
I would love to visit Hawaii one day, Sammy! 😀 The environment has definitely suffered from volcanic eruptions over the years, but, you can’t fight mother nature.
Those Plaster casts scared me a bit :(thanks for introducing me to a new place. Have always wanted to see a volcano but scared at the same time !grt pics there. Dropping by from a to z –
Those casts are a little eerie, for sure. Volcanic landscapes are often beautiful, as long as the volcano remains dormant. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
Every time I hear about Volcano I remember Pompei…so mighty and powerful the fury of nature
Yes, the Pompeii eruption is what most of us think of in reference to volcanoes. It was incredible how well preserved the whole town was. 🙂
I didn’t know Volcanic ash can preserve ruins. I wish to see a volcano- with a lava erupting… I have read a lot about Santorini islands
I’ve never seen a volcano erupting, but that would be interesting from a safe distance. We enjoyed our trip to Santorini and would love to go back. 🙂
There have been a few volcanoes rumbling in their bellies in recent years. They are amazing forces of nature but I sure would not want to be near one when it decided to throw out the fireworks. Thank you for this, there were some of these volcanoes and sites I had not known about.
It would be fascinating to view from a safe distance! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the article, Cecilia.
Volcanoes always reminds me of the fall of Pompei and its always said in the same breath
PhenoMenon
Yes, Pompeii is probably one of the prime examples. Thanks for visiting. 🙂
Great post and wonderful photos. I have not yet explored a volcanic landscape but I want to visit a village near Pune, India that has volcanic ash on the bank of the river which is several hundred years old.
That sounds like an interesting place too. Thanks for visiting. 🙂