Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum

A case study: the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius, Italy

The Last Day of Pompeii- K. Briullov

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The 79 A.D. Eruption of Vesuvius volcano in Italy

A classic example of a
plinian eruption in
Roman times,
generating deadly
pyroclastic flows and
surges
Eruption buried the
Roman cities of Pompeii
and Herculaneum under
a thick blanket of
pyroclastic flows

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Campi Flegrei

Satellite
image of the
Vesuvius
region

City of Naples

Vesuvius volcano

Bay of
Naples

Herculaneum
ca. 5000 people

Pompeii ca.
25,000
people

In Roman
times the
major cities
were Pompeii
and
Herculaneum

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What happened before the eruption?

A marble relief in Pompeii shows the effects of the earthquake of 62 A.D.

At the same time, carbon dioxide gas flow from the volcano killed livestock
in the area
Was this gas release and the earthquake under Vesuvius a
precursor to the 79 A.D. eruption?

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Pliny Elder, Roman scholar, naturalist,

historian and Admiral of the Roman fleet at
Misenum (30 km west of the volcano) at the
time of the Vesuvius eruption
When eruption started, he took galleons
of the fleet across the Bay of Naples to
study the phenomenon and to rescue
people

Pliny Elder died in the eruption. Because of his death, his nephew Pliny
Younger wrote letters that give details of the eruption and his uncles death
These two letters are the first written account of a volcanic
eruption

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Elder Plinys Route to the Volcano in 79 A.D.

Plansarescuemissionandascientificinvestigationoferuption
LeavesMisenumwithnavalshipsaroundnoonon24August

Abandonsmission
andfleessouth
withshipsto
Stabiae,wherehe
dies

Encountersserioustroublewithtephrafalloutandfloating
pumicenearOplontis

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Pliny Younger (17 yrs old) stayed at Misenum

PaintingofPliny
Youngerandhismother
atMiseunum,by
AngelicaKauffmann,
1785;YaleMuseum

Documented the death of his uncle, Pliny Elder, as a result of the

eruption
Wrote detailed description of the eruption, the first eye-witness
report of a volcanic event, in two letters to the Roman historian
Tacitus

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Two dominant processes during the 79 A.D. eruption

High plinian eruption

column with fallout of
pumice and ash

Column collapse, generating

deadly surges and hot
pyroclastic flows

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The 79 A.D. pumice

fall deposit at
Stabiae, 20 km
south of Vesuvius
Gray pumice fall

White pumice fall

Roman soil level

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Pumice Fallout during the 79 AD Eruption

Main dispersal axis

Red lines= thickness of white pumice fall (cm)

Blue lines= thickness of gray pumice fall (cm)

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Pumice Fall Deposit from the 79 A.D. Eruption

Wind

Due to the wind

direction (from the
north-west), the
fallout was carried
to the south-east

Thickest fallout over

Pompeii, over 2
meters thick

No fallout in
Herculaneum

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Pompeii, 79 AD

Pompeii was a city of 25,000, living only 10 km south of the volcano

residents

of Pompeii
Aerial view

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Views of Pompeii

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Surges and pumice fall layers look different . . .

Pumice fall

Surge

Soil

Pumice fall

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79 A.D. deposit at Oplontis, near Pompeii

Pumice fall
Surge deposit
Pumice fall
Surge deposit
Pumice fall
Surge deposit

Pumice fall

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Evolution of the 79 AD Eruption

Timeline of eruption

End of eruption

Beginning of
eruption

Eruption column increased to a maximum and then decreased

Magma discharge rate increased to a maximum and then decreased VolcanoTours

79 AD Deposits in Pompeii

Surges and minor

fall layers

~6 hours duration

Gray pumice fall

17 hours duration
White pumice fall

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79 AD Deposits in Pompeii

Victims found
Surges

Pumice fall

city wall
Location: just outside the

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Recovering the victims at Pompeii

Victim killed and buried by surge
deposits

Plaster is poured into hollow

area where victim
lies

Deposit is excavated away to

Reveal the plaster cast

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Eruption Effects at Herculaneum

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Herculaneum: a city by the sea

1. 6 km from Vesuvius
2. Population of about 5,000
3. Originally a seaside resort

Herculaneum

79 AD coastline

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79 AD deposits in Herculaneum

25 m of
pyroclastic
flow and surge
deposits

Buildings

View of the excavated part of

Herculaneum near the original
coast

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How long did it take for the

flows to reach Herculaneum?
Results of a computer simulation of
the 79 A.D. Vesuvius eruption; time
given in seconds
Note eruption column collapse and
generation of pyroclastic flow or
surge, moving rapidly down the
flanks of the volcano

Location of Herculaneum, 6 km
from the crater

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Mysteries of Herculaneum
1. Early excavations found only a few bodies in the main part of the city.
Where did the people go?

In 1982 new excavations

found hundreds of skeletons
in boat chambers and on
the beachfront.

Boat chambers

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New discoveries of bodies at

Herculaneum was featured in
National Geographic

Forfurtherdetails,
photos,mapsandviews,
seearticleonVesuvius
inNationalGeographic
magazine,vol.165,no.
5,May1984

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Victims at Herculaneum

1. Hundreds of skeletons found in boat chambers, preserved differently than

at Pompeii because of the great weight of the flow and surge deposits (no casts)
2. People were probably trying to escape by sea but were caught in the
the first surge and flow at about 11 pm on August 24.
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Excavation of deposits at Herculaneum

Skeleton

Surge S-1

Black beach sand

Reconstructing the crime scene

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Evolution of the 79AD Eruption

Growth of eruption column and pumice fallout

Shift
flow VolcanoTours
to alternating pumice fall and surge/pyroclastic

Summary of Eruption Effects: Pompeii and Herculaneum

PompeiiandHerculaneum
wereaffecteddifferently
duringtheeruption.
Pompeiiwasdownwindof
theashandpumicefallout,
whereasHerculaneum
receivednofallout.
Herculaneumwascloserto
thecrater,andwas
engulfedinthefirst
pyroclasticsurge,with
deadlyeffects
Early Stage

Later Stage

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Lessons from the 79AD Eruption

1. About 1 million people currently live in the area affected by the 79 AD eruption
2. What are the consequences of a similar eruption occurring today?

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Whats next for Vesuvius

Vesuvius has erupted many times since 79 A.D., but these have been much smaller events,
with many lava flow eruptions

PaintingbyPierreJaquesVolaireoferuptionof1774

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