Why is Mt Vesuvius a strato volcano?
Mt. Vesuvius is a stratovolcano because it results from the subduction of the African plate under the Eurasian plate. As the plate subducts, the subducted crust turns to magma that eventually rises to the surface in the form of a stratovolcano. Stratovolcanoes like Mt. Vesuvius tend to be mildly explosive due to the andositic rock that they form from. Andositic lava is more gaseous than basalt, making it more explosive than shield volcanoes like Hawaii. However, the lava that powers Vesuvius is much less gaseous and explosive than the rhyolite that triggers some of the world’s largest eruptions.
