Earth Processes: Volcanos
Mount Vesuvius & the Destruction of Pompeii
https://www.sutori.com/story/case-study-of-mt-vesuvius--6K4icQqfEpaXfFNivBjCZHXQ
Mount Vesuvius & the Destruction of Pompeii
https://www.sutori.com/story/case-study-of-mt-vesuvius--6K4icQqfEpaXfFNivBjCZHXQ
Introduction
Mt Vesuvius, a stratovolcano in Southwest Italy, erupted in 79 A.D with catastrophic consequences. The nearby towns were wiped out with no residents surviving the lava flow and other hazards that followed. The event has been studied for centuries following the event to determine why the residents did not know the eruption was going to occur, resulting in no evacuations prior to the event, leading to thousands of people perishing and the town being buried beyond repair.
Study Site
Mt Vesuvius is a stratovolcano located in Campania, Italy, on the southwest coast near the Bay of Naples (Vesuvius, 2017) (Ball, 2017). This volcano is located on a subduction zone between the Eurasian and African plates and has experienced eight major eruptions in the last 17,000 years (Ball, 2017). Mt Vesuvius is located within the caldera of the larger Monte Somma volcano, with an elevation of 1281 m (Vesuvius, 2017) (Ball, 2017).
The town of Pompeii was built on prehistoric lava flow and covered an area of about 66 hectares,with a population of approximately 20,000 people (Jashemski, 2017) (Haraldue Sigurdsson, 1982). It was a thriving major city in Italy with an abundance of agricultural land surrounding it and well-established infrastructure within it. The inhabitants of Pompeii ranged from very poor to rich, working in the city and participating in industrial activities such as food production.
Warning Signs
In A.D. 62, sixteen years prior to the event, the area surrounding the mountain was hit by a major earthquake, followed by many more frequent earthquakes for the remaining years leading up to the volcanic eruption (Carwright, M. 2012). These frequent earthquakes were signs that a major disaster was going to occur but because of their lack of modern knowledge, the romans did not suspect the eruption that was about to happen. The citizens were used to the tremors, as they lived in an area with lots of seismic activity (Pos, C. 2017).
Mount Vesuvius is part of the Campanian Volcanic Arc. The arc sits on a tectonic boundary where the African plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate (Bagley, M. 2016). The fault boundary eventually ruptured, which caused the A.D. 62 earthquake, and was a sign that steam and gas were building up in the volcano. With such a long interval since the last eruption occurring centuries before, the A.D. 79 eruption was bound to be a deadly one due to the pressure building up in the chamber (Wallace-Hadrill, 2014). Locals were unprepared for the explosion which took place that year (Bagley, M. 2016).
Perhaps if the wind was blown in another direction, the people of Pompeii might have stood a better chance of survival. The wind typically blows in a southwesterly direction during the summer season in this part of the Italian peninsula. However, it blew in a northwesterly direction this day, straight towards Pompeii. (Dorian, P. 2016).
The Eruption
In A.D. 79, a volcanic eruption occurred at Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Many ancient cities surrounded the mountain including Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. In the time of the early Roman Empire, 20,000 people lived in Pompeii, including merchants, manufacturers, and farmers.
On the day of the eruption, Mount Vesuvius propelled a 10-mile mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the stratosphere. The eruption was so deadly it killed many thousands of people residing in those neighboring cities. The released ash and pumice showered Pompeii, forcing citizens to flee in terror (The destruction of Pompeii, 1999). Eventually, the air was clogged and made it difficult to breathe. Pyroclastic flow came pouring down the side of the mountain and destroyed everything in its path. In the end, Pompeii was ruined and buried under millions of tons of volcanic ash preserving the city under cement. After the disaster, the city of Pompeii and other near by cities were abandoned for centuries.
Conclusion
The A.D. 70 eruption of Mount Vesuvius was a disaster that the local residents were not expecting, or prepared for, due to lack of knowledge of the signs of volcanic eruptions. Many residents fled in terror, with some surviving while most did not. The surrounding cities were mostly destroyed, abandoned, and but the remains were preserved. Had the roman citizens known about the mountain being a volcano, and therefore able to mitigate the consequences of an eruption, they may have survived. Because of the disaster of A.D. 79, residents in the surrounding areas are now more prepared than ever for the next big eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Mt Vesuvius, a stratovolcano in Southwest Italy, erupted in 79 A.D with catastrophic consequences. The nearby towns were wiped out with no residents surviving the lava flow and other hazards that followed. The event has been studied for centuries following the event to determine why the residents did not know the eruption was going to occur, resulting in no evacuations prior to the event, leading to thousands of people perishing and the town being buried beyond repair.
Study Site
Mt Vesuvius is a stratovolcano located in Campania, Italy, on the southwest coast near the Bay of Naples (Vesuvius, 2017) (Ball, 2017). This volcano is located on a subduction zone between the Eurasian and African plates and has experienced eight major eruptions in the last 17,000 years (Ball, 2017). Mt Vesuvius is located within the caldera of the larger Monte Somma volcano, with an elevation of 1281 m (Vesuvius, 2017) (Ball, 2017).
The town of Pompeii was built on prehistoric lava flow and covered an area of about 66 hectares,with a population of approximately 20,000 people (Jashemski, 2017) (Haraldue Sigurdsson, 1982). It was a thriving major city in Italy with an abundance of agricultural land surrounding it and well-established infrastructure within it. The inhabitants of Pompeii ranged from very poor to rich, working in the city and participating in industrial activities such as food production.
Warning Signs
In A.D. 62, sixteen years prior to the event, the area surrounding the mountain was hit by a major earthquake, followed by many more frequent earthquakes for the remaining years leading up to the volcanic eruption (Carwright, M. 2012). These frequent earthquakes were signs that a major disaster was going to occur but because of their lack of modern knowledge, the romans did not suspect the eruption that was about to happen. The citizens were used to the tremors, as they lived in an area with lots of seismic activity (Pos, C. 2017).
Mount Vesuvius is part of the Campanian Volcanic Arc. The arc sits on a tectonic boundary where the African plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate (Bagley, M. 2016). The fault boundary eventually ruptured, which caused the A.D. 62 earthquake, and was a sign that steam and gas were building up in the volcano. With such a long interval since the last eruption occurring centuries before, the A.D. 79 eruption was bound to be a deadly one due to the pressure building up in the chamber (Wallace-Hadrill, 2014). Locals were unprepared for the explosion which took place that year (Bagley, M. 2016).
Perhaps if the wind was blown in another direction, the people of Pompeii might have stood a better chance of survival. The wind typically blows in a southwesterly direction during the summer season in this part of the Italian peninsula. However, it blew in a northwesterly direction this day, straight towards Pompeii. (Dorian, P. 2016).
The Eruption
In A.D. 79, a volcanic eruption occurred at Mount Vesuvius, Italy. Many ancient cities surrounded the mountain including Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. In the time of the early Roman Empire, 20,000 people lived in Pompeii, including merchants, manufacturers, and farmers.
On the day of the eruption, Mount Vesuvius propelled a 10-mile mushroom cloud of ash and pumice into the stratosphere. The eruption was so deadly it killed many thousands of people residing in those neighboring cities. The released ash and pumice showered Pompeii, forcing citizens to flee in terror (The destruction of Pompeii, 1999). Eventually, the air was clogged and made it difficult to breathe. Pyroclastic flow came pouring down the side of the mountain and destroyed everything in its path. In the end, Pompeii was ruined and buried under millions of tons of volcanic ash preserving the city under cement. After the disaster, the city of Pompeii and other near by cities were abandoned for centuries.
Conclusion
The A.D. 70 eruption of Mount Vesuvius was a disaster that the local residents were not expecting, or prepared for, due to lack of knowledge of the signs of volcanic eruptions. Many residents fled in terror, with some surviving while most did not. The surrounding cities were mostly destroyed, abandoned, and but the remains were preserved. Had the roman citizens known about the mountain being a volcano, and therefore able to mitigate the consequences of an eruption, they may have survived. Because of the disaster of A.D. 79, residents in the surrounding areas are now more prepared than ever for the next big eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Animation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Video of eruption of Mount Helena in Oregon in 1979.
PBS Video
Video of eruption of Mount Helena in Oregon in 1979.
PBS Video
