NOVA Online (click here for NOVA home)
Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius
Site Map

Volume of Erupted Material

It's hard to measure exactly how much stuff spews out of a volcano during an eruption. However, scientists can make a pretty fair estimate if they know two things: the area covered by a layer of erupted material and the average thickness of the layer. They multiply these two factors to get an estimate of volume.

back to VEI chart | Plume Height



SWAT Team | Predict Eruptions? | Deadliest Volcanoes
Planning for Disaster | Resources | Teacher's Guide
Transcript | Printable page | Site Map | Vesuvius Home


Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule
About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print
PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH

© | Updated November 2000