Vesuvius


 * For the robot of the same name, see Vesuvius (robot).

Vesuvius was a volcano located in Italy. In 79, Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city of Pompeii. Two incarnations of the Doctor, the seventh and the tenth, were present during the eruption, though both managed to avoid encountering each other. (BFA: The Fires of Vulcan, DW: The Fires of Pompeii)

In an alternate timeline, Vesuvius took much longer to erupt, and the people of Pompeii evacuated in their boats. (PDA: The Algebra of Ice)

Unknown to human history -- and, indeed, to the Doctor's seventh incarnation, the eruption was triggered by a race known as Pyroviles, in a plan to convert humans into more Pyroviles. The explosion was as powerful as 24 nuclear bombs and cracked open a rift in time which lasted for a second due to the sheer force of the blast. The rift's effects rippled backward in time, allowing the people of Pompeii to see the future. The eruption also destroyed the Pyroviles. Although virtually all the residents of Pompeii perished, one family was saved by the Doctor. (DW: The Fires of Pompeii)