1. What is the difference between a. and a. What caused the eruption of Pompeii? Include a diagram and explain the science behind the eruption of Vesuvius. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE is one of the most well-known volcanic eruptions in history. According to amnh.org, the violent eruption came with little warning, ejecting monumental amounts of ash, mud, and rocks into the air and onto the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Volcanic activity in the region around Vesuvius has persisted for 300,000 years, with seven highly explosive eruptions in the last 17,000 years. Vesuvius is a stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, built up by the layering of successive ash and lava eruptions over time. Eruptions occur in cycling …show more content…
Earthquakes continued for years as the magma chamber inside Vesuvius inflated. Finally, in August of A.D. 79, eruptions began. Fine-grained ash, then coarse white pumice, and later gray pumice, rained down on the city of Pompeii for 12 hours. Then, the eruption changed. Explosions created hot avalanches of rock, ash, and gases that sped down the volcano’s flank. Over two days, Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum were buried by these deadly ash flows. Many of their 20,000 citizens were killed. Today, a million people live within range of the volcano that could again erupt catastrophically.Scientists solve mystery of volcano’s “natural deaths. 2001). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the …show more content…
(Who made the plaster casts at Pompeii?, 2024) Buried 6 meters deep in ash, the bodies of Mount Vesuvius's victims were preserved perfectly in a protective shell of ash. When the skin and tissues of these bodies eventually decayed, they left voids in the layer of ash around them in the exact shape of their final moments (Who made the plaster casts at Pompeii? 2024). The. As stated by pompeiisiites.org, it wasn’t until the 18th-century excavations that Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli came up with an idea for reconstructing the bodies. After discovering the air pockets that indicated the presence of human remains in a street dubbed “the Alley of Skeletons”, Fiorelli and his team decided to pour plaster into the voids. They let the plaster harden, then chipped away the outer layers of ash, leaving behind a cast of the victims at their time of death. These plaster outlines preserved the voids left by the bodies, giving a glimpse into the tragic destruction that took so many people at once. Their preserved expression of horror and pain reminds us of their humanity, with their vulnerable bodies, sometimes distorted, giving a