What is the name of the volcano that destroyed the city of Pompeii?

Mount Vesuvius is the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. In AD 79, Vesuvius erupted beside the Bay of Naples, burying Pompeii under pumice, ash and volcanic material while also devastating nearby settlements such as Herculaneum.

The eruption began with a massive column of ash, pumice and volcanic gases that rose many miles into the atmosphere. As that column collapsed, scorching pyroclastic currents—fast-moving mixtures of hot gas, ash and rock—swept across the surrounding towns. Pompeii was buried under many meters of deposits, preserving buildings, streets, tools and human remains for later archaeological study.

The eruption is one of history’s best-documented volcanic disasters because Pliny the Younger described what he saw in letters to the historian Tacitus. The exact date remains debated in surviving ancient accounts, although modern evidence points to an autumn eruption.

Pompeii was not destroyed by lava flowing through the streets, as popular images sometimes suggest. Ash, pumice fall and pyroclastic surges did most of the damage. Vesuvius remains an active volcano; its most recent eruption occurred in 1944.