An explosive volcanic eruption of pyroclastic ejecta forming an eruption column which may be up to 55 km high, dispersing ejecta over an area of 500–5000 km². The eruption column has the distinctive, spreading, branched shape of the stone pine (Pinus pinea) native to the Mediterranean region. A Plinian eruption may produce thick, airfall, pumice deposits, or the eruption column may collapse to generate a pyroclastic flow. This type of eruption is named after Pliny the elder, who died at Pompeii in ad 79 during the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the city.