Athens - A thick layer of ancient solidified volcanic ash, caused by the eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius some 18,000 years ago, has been discovered in northern Greece, newspaper reports said Tuesday. Scientists from Thessaloniki's Artistole University conducting research in the region of Lake Volvi, in northern Greece, said deposits landed in the area after the volcano erupted, spraying hot ash across Italy and into Albania and Greece, according to a report in the Greek daily Kathimerini.
"The explosion was so strong that the ash flew over the Apennine mountains, over Greece's mountain ranges and settled in Lake Volvi," Scientist Michael Fytikas was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Experts said the ash layer ranges from 50 centimetres to 3 metres in thickness and was mostly discovered around Lake Mygdonia, a smaller body of water near Lake Volvi.
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was so strong that it penetrated the atmosphere, reaching the stratosphere.
It is considered the most catastrophic eruption of the Italian volcano, which ended up burying the town of Pompeii, killing thousands of people.
Mount Vesuvius, located east of Naples, last erupted in March 1944.
