Plinian eruption

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 588 words | Copyright

Plinian eruption An explosive volcanic eruption of pyroclastic ejecta forming an eruption column which may be up to 55 km high, dispersing ejecta over an area of 500–5000 km². The eruption column has the distinctive, spreading, branched shape of the stone pine (Pinus pinea) native to the Mediterranean region. A Plinian eruption may produce thick, airfall, pumice deposits, or the eruption column may collapse to generate a pyroclastic flow. This type of eruption is named after Pliny the elder, who died at Pompeii in AD79 during the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the city.

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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Plinian eruption." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Plinian eruption." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Plinianeruption.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Plinian eruption." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Plinianeruption.html

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