Nature: Is Vesuvius a ticking time bomb?

An article in Nature magazine about Vesuvius and the risk of a devastating eruption could occur reports that in 2006, Michael Sheridan, UB Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geology, described geological evidence of a blast 3,800 years ago that was much larger than the eruption of Vesuvius that occurred in AD 79. "The [earlier] deposits right in the center of Naples are 4 meters thick," he said. " Even a few inches would be enough to kill everyone."