From iol.co.za: Study may boost forecasts for Vesuvius blasts.

The magma pool feeding the Italian volcano that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79 has shifted in the past 2 000 years, a discovery that could help in predicting future eruptions, researchers said in the journal Nature.

Vesuvius is in southern Italy near Naples, one of the most densely populated volcanic regions in the world. Its crater is 1 280m above and 20km away from Naples, Italy’s third largest city.

Scientists had thought the pool remained constant over the past 4 000 years but new investigations detailed on Wednesday showed the chamber had actually shifted higher between the Pompeii eruption in AD 79 and the Pollena one in AD 472.

Knowing the location of the lava pool is important because [continue]