I saw a post about Pompeii and Vesuvius reach the front page today and it got me thinking about volcanic eruptions, and specifically about why Vesuvius' eruptions seems to the most studied of any of the large volcanic eruptions.
There have been several eruptions that were larger and more deadly than Vesuivias, and a few of them happening in the last 200 years (Mount Tambora, Krakatoa, Mount Pelee, and Nevado del Ruiz). Not to mention there were two eruptions between 1600-1800 that killed millions, not thousands, but millions of people (Laki and Huaynaputina).
I understand that Vesuvius was a devastating eruption, but it just seems weird that it is the most talked about, studied and cataloged.
It's all about publicity. Vesuvius is a Titanic of volcanic eruptions.
All eruptions you mentioned occurred in time and place that didn't draw attention to them. Vesuvius erupted in the popular seaside resort in the middle of one of the greatest civilisations- and nothing can draw as much attention like tragedy mixed with luxury. Pliny The Elder, one of the most renewed Roman scholars died while trying to observe catastrophe (to his credit he also came to rescue his friends). His nephew Pliny The Younger wrote letters to Tacitus describing whole event- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm Letters survived and were included to Latin curriculum up to XX century.
The other factor that contributed it's fame was the fact that mud and ash covered Pompei and Herculanum preserving them for historians- houses, intact furniture, mosaics, cookware in kitchens, even food on the tables give much more information about daily life in I st century AD than all written sources combined.