This engraving of the 1631 eruption of Vesuvius shows a vertical eruption column and pyroclastic flows sweeping down the flanks of the volcano to the sea. This is the earliest known depiction of pyroclastic flows. The 1631 eruption was one of the largest at Vesuvius in historical time and began the modern period of frequent, long-duration eruptions.

Engraving by G. Battista Passaro (from the collection of Maurice and Katia Krafft, published in Simkin and Siebert, 1994).

Copyrighted image used with permission. All Rights Reserved. Contact photographer for any usage requests.

Keywords: eruption | explosive eruption | pyroclastic flow | pyroclastic density current (PDC) | ash plume | human impacts

Vesuvius