3110 Pompeii:The Last Day

we also watched it - thought it was very good but I had been brought up to believe it was the ash which killed them not a pyroclastic flow- any geographers out there who know for sure?

Fiona..

Pyroclastic flows are made up mainly of ash!

:) :)

Hello Frantiani,

I have just finished watching this programme on the Discovery Civilization channel, and I found it most interesting.

I was amazed how intact all the pieces of ceramics were that they found and the tiny skeleton of a babies foetus that they also found was quite saddening.

Apparently when Mt. Vesuvius erupted it was the combination of the cloud of ash and pumice coming from it that enveloped the village and it's inhabitants, also after the fallout, there was a flow of mud which helped to preserve the village.

All in all, a very informative programme, ending with the remark that could it happen again with the consequences being the same? Quite thought provoking.

A presto
Francesca

You would all probably enjoy the book Pompeii, by Robert Harris (could be Richard Harris, haven't got it to hand).
Very entertaining and apparently well researched "factional" account of the eruption from the point of view of an young Roman acquaduct engineer.
If the book is even ten per cent accurate it goes a long way to reassure the Pompeians of today that there will be quite a lot of warning before another eruption, giving time to evacuate.
Both Vesuvius and Etna are constantly monitored, Etna is giving more concern at the moment, but we are probably talking centuries before anything big happens.

Pyroclastic flows are high density mixtures of very hot dry rock fragments and gases that move away from volcano crater at high speeds. They result from the explosive eruption of molten or solid rock fragments. Pyroclastic flows also result from the non explosive eruption of lava when parts of the crater dome or a thick lava flow collapses down a steep slope.

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Most pyroclastic flows consist of two parts; a basal flow of coarse fragments that moves along the ground, and a turbulent cloud of ash that rises above the basal flow. Ash falls from this cloud over a wide area downwind from the main pyroclastic flow.

:) :)

[QUOTE=Francesca]All in all, a very informative programme, ending with the remark that could it happen again with the consequences being the same? Quite thought provoking.
Francesca[/QUOTE]

I heard a while back that the 'experts' considered it very likely that Vesuvio will erupt again, with even worse consequences because, obviously, there are more people living in that area of Campania now.

It really doesn't bear thinking about.

As to Pompei itself, it was a very interesting experience wandering around the place. What the archeologists have done over the last 150 years or so is amazing. Some of it is creepy, though, and brought home the horror that the poor people would have felt.

20 years ago the New Scientist mag predicted that the bay of Naples would blow at any time. We had planned to visit Pozzuoli that weekend and experience the rising sea wall and the crater where you stamp your feet on the hot earth and sulphur fumes rise (forgotten the name - oh yes, la sulfatara). Scared witless we went nonetheless and have been back since (it was an unforgettable experience)but always wonder how close the area is to an eruption - the centre seems to be under the bay of Naples but I haven't heard anything for ages

The pyroclastic flow is one of the most awful things & have ever read about.It came down Vesuvius apparently at about 180 miles an hour & no one had a chance. The intense heat actually baked the bodies & apparently boiled the brains. It doesn't bear thinking about. I guess those were were actually smothered by the ash were the luckier ones. And to think it may all happen again one day. I heard that the Italian Air Force have made plans to perhaps bomb the volcano when next it erupts to try & turn the flow away from Naples - that doesn't bear thinking about either. The may make things horribly worse. Evacuation plans for the surrounding areas have also been thought up but when you think of the dense population of Naples & thereabouts I cant see it being a success. Yes I watched the TYV prog. about Pompeii too & I also taped it. I thought it was great & enormously interesting the way they had made up stories around some of the various bodies that have been found.

I agree, Rina. Whether it would reach as far as what is arguably one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world - la costiera amalfitana - I would not know, but I would pray to God that it wouldn't.

It certainly is difficult trying to get one's head round what happened back then. It really is so unimaginable; I certainly had an attack of the shudders walking round Pompeii.

I agree too that any attempt to change the tide of the lava flow could prove catastrophic, but then what choice is there? They would have to try, since not to do so would condemn millions of people to certain horrendous deaths.

Ho hum, nothing like being cheery!

To change the route of a lava flow becomes a political decision. I'm afraid I cannot remember (and haven't got the source material to hand), but not very long ago there was a volcanic eruption which meant that EITHER the major village of the area was going to be destroyed, OR the harbour was going to be destroyed. The mayor decided (he had about 24 hours notice) that the village would be sacrificed, on the basis that a harbour cannot be reconstructed - a village can. He is now mayor of a thriving community, who went along with his wise decision.
I don't know if that makes me feel that politicos are important (that goes very much against my nature!), but that Mayor got it right.
As I said in an earlier post in this thread, Italy has some of the most expert vulcanologists on the planet, and nobody is raising any flags this century.

Rina & Peter, I think we have come along way since this catastrophy in Pompeii, the people then thought it was the Gods, Im sure they are well prepared for such a disaster, they would have scientists that would know the signs that all is not well, and Im sure evacuation would be put in place on a major scale, this time they would be prepared, unlike the poor people then, I could not help but shed a tear when watching this programme. Francesca

I live very close to the volcano and they may be prepared but , the roads will become virtual paring lots if they had to evacuate. The population is so thick there that if they don't get out it will be the same thing that happened during the days of Pompei. I guess they think it won't happen again, but you can never tell. I just hope that I'm not here when it happens.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Heading off to the UK ,next week, to visit so Brit freinds we met in Bahrain, Bossum Hoe? not sure how it's spelled
Dan:)

It's my understanding that the vulcanoligists can only say that Vesuvius will certainly erupt again but unfortunately they cannot say WHEN!!! And the longer it sleeps the stronger it grows. Depressing thought eh?