The Eruption Flashcards
What was the second stage
Pyroclastic
What happened in the first stage of the eruption?
Cloud of ash rose into the sky- ‘plinian’
Ash and pumice then fell
Buildings crumbled because of heavy ash layer
Warned people of Pompeii however did not alarm Herculaneum as they were upwind
What happened in the second stage
Series of pyro clastic surges and flows, which were lethal
What is a pyroclastic surge
Cloud of ash travelling up to 300km an hour, above 100 degrees
What is a pyroclastic flow
Melted rock and pumice
Up to 50km an hour, above 400 degrees
How many surges were there
6 surges
First few only hit Herculaneum
What did Pliny the Elder say about the cloud of ash?
‘A cloud of very unusual size and appearance which resembled a line tree’
Evidence of vulcanology
Mt St Helens
Massive ash cloud
Victims suffocated by hot ash
Who made a suggestion of the type of death in Pompeii
Patricelli suggested people were trapped by buildings covered in ash
Nearly 400 bodies found in ash layer
Evidence of most common type of death
Cut down and asphyxiated by surges
Over 600 bodies found in later surge layers
Half of bodies were found in pugilistic pose
What pose did bodies portray which indicated extreme heat
Pugilistic
Bodies in Herculaneum tell us about the type of deaths
Thrown from buildings
- women found on top of roof tiles with severe breakages to her skull, pelvis and thigh bone
No immense warning
- slave helmsman under hull of a boat, still holding lar
