Damian Secol Natural Disasters Mt.

Vesuvius
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On Aug. 24th 79 A.D. at 1:00 PM, the magma chamber below Mt. Vesuvius reached its limit and an ash column of millions of tons of volcanic debri was spewed forth to a height of 10 mi. (SoD). An estimated 4 km^3 was released after several hours. Vesuvius was given a VEI of 6 which was considered huge by volcanologists (VHH). However, Vesuvius modest outpouring of 4 km^3 (2.48 mi^3) is dwarfed by that unleashed by Yellowstones latest eruption over 600,000 years ago at over 240 mi^3 and then 1,000 km^3 before that (USGS). Vesuvius is part of the Romana volcanic belt in southern Italy that is made up of two parallel volcanic arcs, namely the active western arc. Both arcs curve towards the southwest suggesting that the Tyrrhenian platelet, being part of the Eurasian plate, is subducted beneath the convergent boundary of the Apulian platelet (part of the African plate). However, the foci from earthquakes is deeper as you go west, and so this implies that the subduction is actually reversed, with the Apulian platelet going westward beneath both Italy and the Tyrrhenian platelet, or that a wedge of mantle may be pushing up along the descending Apulian Platelet and towards the area where the Tyrrhenian and Apulian plateltet separate because of the nature of the flow of the magma (VHH). Vesuvius is a stratovolcano with lava composed of viscous andesite (VES). This coincides with the convergent boundary that birthed it and the distance inland that would produce viscous andesite, as a deep focus would give the magma time to cool enough as it penetrated the layers of continental crust to become an intermediate lava (VHH). The city of Pompeii had an estimated population between 10,000- 25,000 people, with Herculaneum being much smaller with 5,000 (VES). It is not known how many escaped, since it is reported that there were those that returned to Pompeii to salvage what they could by digging down through the volcanic debris and retrieving buried property. However, archeologists found thousands of remains that were well preserved (VHH). Inside homes, skeletons were found of those that chose to remain and weather the storm, but died primarily of asphyxiation from the accumalation of ash that choked the air, falling at a rate of 15-20 cm an hour, or from poisonous gases. Roofs collapsed after several hours of accumaltion, killing residents inside as well (VES,VHH, SoD). Those outside also died of asphyxiation, but their bodies were preserved differently as the ashes fell around them and formed molds of their bodies, like clay, that held the shape of their bodies upon death as their bodies within decayed (VHH). Then many that escaped into the countryside were

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then overtaken by the pryoclastic cloud that descended down the mountain after several hours. The combination of ashes, superheated gases, and volcanic debri cooled down from 850 C to 350 C by the time it reached the city of Pompeii, enough to kill any that still lingered in the vicinity. (VES, VHH). Herculaneum suffered a different fate. There was more time for the residents to escape the volcano. It was first thought that everyone managed to leave the town in time, but eventually buildings along the docks held perfectly preserved skeletons that showed that not everyone may have been able to leave on boat, but were caught by the pryoclastic clouds that descended from the mountain several hours after the eruption buried the town (VHH,SoD).
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Pompeii was about 10 km southwest from Vesuvius, with Herculaneum closer to the west. Pompeii was primarily affected by the ash cloud that turned day into night. It was the accumalation of ash that destroyed the city and its inhabitants, followed by later pyroclastic flows. Herculaneum, being much closer, was buried by successive pyroclastc flows to a depth of about 20 m (VHH).

There is a famous account of that of Pliny the Younger who tells of his uncle whom was a Roman naval officer named Gaius Plinius Secundus, or Pliny the Elder, who was in charge of a group of roman ships based at Misenum. The boys uncle wanted to get a better look at what was happening and also wanted to rescue a friend that was trapped there. However, the lapilli and ash kept him from landing and so he turned to a villa in Stabiae of a friend named Pomponianus and bathed and dined there while the owners household looked on with what was happening with Vesuvius. Ash and pumice began to rain down where they were, but it seemed that his uncle was not concerned and played down what was happening until it was too late and the air was too thick with volcanic ash and debris to breathe safely. This led to the heart attack and subsequent death of his uncle. Pliny the Younger describes the intial column of ash erupting from the volcano as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and the split into great branches, surmising that the ash was then falling because of the decrease in explosive pressure coming from the volcano or that its weight had finally brought down the volcanic materials (AD 79). 7. Because of the degree of preservation that is had in Pompeii, archeologists are able to be given a glimpse into everyday Roman life that they wouldnt normally have. Most works of art had been destroyed or plundered by invading barbarian tribes as they sacked Rome (VHH). Structures being mostly intact, the archaeologists were then able to study the architecture and even exposed wooden beams, which do not normally withstand the test of time. Elaborate jewlery, sculptures, and even furniture were there to study. Frescoes dipicted the daily life of a citizen there and the intact nature of many of the buildings also gave clearer insights into their lives, even evidence of what may have been happening up to the very eruption of Vesuvius (SoD).
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A great amount of detail was derived from the bodies of those that were entombed in Pompeii. As time passed, the forms of the body were preserved even though moisture got in from the seepage of groundwater and the body decayed; the ash acted like clay. It was the found in the 1860s by Giuseppe Fiorelli that liquid plaster could be poured into the molds to produce casts that showed everything from their clothing to even their expressions at time of death (VHH).

8. Thereafter, Vesuvius regularily erupted every 100 years until 1037 when the volcano remained silent until the violent eruption of 1631 where 4,000 people were caught unaware and were killed (VES). From that point on, activity within the volcano has been constant with an eruption every 30-40 years. This violent eruption gave evidence that the longer the volcano slept, the more violent its awakening was as evidenced by its increased activity in the 17th to 19th centuries. The last eruption took place in 1944 where residents were able to evacuate the town and avoid loss of life, but could only look on helplessly as their town was consumed by the slow moving lava. However, despite the impressive destruction, the eruption in 79 A.D was over 50 times more powerful with the destructive force of that of hundreds of Hiroshima bombs (SoD). None of the subsequent eruptions have come close to that which destroyed Pompeii. 9. If there were to be a potential eruption then you would have at least the 600,000 divided between 18 towns that reside along the edges of the volcano and then even 5 million of the nearby city of Naples (WP). The Vesuvius Observatory monitors the volcano 24/7 and there is an evacuation plan for the 18 towns within 72 hrs should it come to that, and that it should even include the city of Naples since burning ash and pumice can reach the city 12 miles away. This 9mile radius around the volcano has been designated as the red zone or area that would be hit the hardest in an eruption. The government has even offered to pay 46,000 dollars per person to relocate, but few if any have taken up the offer(HSW). The observatory has seismic measuring devices around the mountain, has lowered two sensors to record shifts, and even european space agency satelite feeds that monitor the earth to movements down to millimeters (WP). However, if it were to blow, according to the 154 square miles of magma that Vesuvius currently sits on top of, it is said that the eruption would be immense. In this case you would potentially have a massive loss of life, infrastructure, and agriculture that would amount to billions. It would be a potential catastrophe that would affect the region for decades to come. 10. Key points: Vesuvius rides atop of the Eurasian Plate, a convergent boundary where the African plate goes underneath through subduction. Vesuvius is a stratovolcano that is composed of viscous andesite Mt. Vesuvius erupted on Aug. 24th of 79 A.D. at 1:00 PM, spewing forth 4 km^3 of volcanic ash and debris. Asphyxiation was the primary cause of death in Pompeii, followed by pryoclastic flows Pompeii and its people were destoyed by falling ash and pumice ,whereas Herculaneum was buried by successive pyroclastic flows. Pliny the Youngers account was famous for giving insight into what the eruption was like. The untimely demise of Pompeii and Herculaneum gave archeologists an unpresidented view into the Roman past because of the incredible degree of preservation of its people and surroundings. None of Vesuvius eruptions since Pompeiis destruction has equaled its magnitude. A potential eruption would endanger the lives of millions of people and adversely affect the area for a long time to come. The impact of the eruption was such that no one was willing to return to the sites of the buried towns. Part of this might have been religious/superstitious since it was believed it was the gods keeping primal forces in check, but it mostly was because there was nothing to return to.

Destruction was total, the land had been ravaged by the lava, and would now take years, if not centuries, to recover. In trying to portray Vesuvius accurately, scientific interest was sparked and the science of volcanology came into being in the 18th century from the growing fascination of getting up close and personal with the volcano and trying to understand it. This was especially so once there was a separation between religion and science. Further eruptions just served to further the geosciences. The volcano also left its mark on the local religion as Roman Catholic priests also kept thorough records of each eruption as a ceremony was held by the priests of the cathedral of Naples for protection in the name of their patron saint, Saint Januarius, and this was continued for centuries. Western culture was influenced as a favorite subject for many European artists like PierreAugusta Renoir and also among the americans as with Thomas Cole depicting scenes of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Vesuvius has been the most depicted volcano in all of western art. Even Andy Warhol painted the volcano. To study such a volcano is to show how much a hazard can have a lasting effect on all facets of a persons life, as the very land itself is changed. I can see studying this in depth can help make all the evident dangers real to you as you see how it affects the lives of a population as a real natural disaster. You come to appreciate the raw elemental power that the earth is capable of.

Conger, Cristen. "What would happen if Mount Vesuvius erupted today?" 12 May 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/mount-vesuvius.htm> 30 May 2012. Williams, D. (2004, Octobet 13). Scientists keep tabs on pulse of mount vesuvius. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28032-2004Oct12.html Secrets of the dead; Herculaneum uncovered [Web series episode]. (2008). In Secrets of the Dead. PBS. Retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/1215284329 (n.d.). Vesuviussomma volcano, bay of Naples, Italy. doi: Vesuvius PDF de Boer, J. Z., & Sanders, D. T. Volcanoes in human history: The far reaching effects of major eruptions. (pp. 74-107). Princeton University Press. Ad 79 destruction and rediscovery. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/ad79eruption/history/tragedy