what was the day that mount vesuvius erupted and destroyed pompeii
The eruption was catastrophic, lasting more than 24 hours. The eruption officially started on the morning of August 24, as molten rock and pumice began to be expelled from Mt. Vesuvius at a rate of 1.5 million tons per second. Copious amounts of rock and volcanic ash filled the atmosphere, turning day into night. It is estimated that about six inches of ash fell every hour.