The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius

Abstract Pyroclastic density currents are ground hugging gas-particle flows that originate from the collapse of an eruption column or lava dome. They move away from the volcano at high speed, causing devastation. The impact is generally associated with flow dynamic pressure and temperature. Little e...

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Autores principales:	Pierfrancesco Dellino, Fabio Dioguardi, Roberto Isaia, Roberto Sulpizio, Daniela Mele
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/d066734d445946f1b6208b27ffb5bcd6
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:d066734d445946f1b6208b27ffb5bcd62021-12-02T11:37:22ZThe impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius10.1038/s41598-021-84456-72045-2322https://doaj.org/article/d066734d445946f1b6208b27ffb5bcd62021-03-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84456-7https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Pyroclastic density currents are ground hugging gas-particle flows that originate from the collapse of an eruption column or lava dome. They move away from the volcano at high speed, causing devastation. The impact is generally associated with flow dynamic pressure and temperature. Little emphasis has yet been given to flow duration, although it is emerging that the survival of people engulfed in a current strongly depends on the exposure time. The AD 79 event of Somma-Vesuvius is used here to demonstrate the impact of pyroclastic density currents on humans during an historical eruption. At Herculaneum, at the foot of the volcano, the temperature and strength of the flow were so high that survival was impossible. At Pompeii, in the distal area, we use a new model indicating that the current had low strength and low temperature, which is confirmed by the absence of signs of trauma on corpses. Under such conditions, survival should have been possible if the current lasted a few minutes or less. Instead, our calculations demonstrate a flow duration of 17 min, long enough to make lethal the breathing of ash suspended in the current. We conclude that in distal areas where the mechanical and thermal effects of a pyroclastic density currents are diminished, flow duration is the key for survival.Pierfrancesco DellinoFabio DioguardiRoberto IsaiaRoberto SulpizioDaniela MeleNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Pierfrancesco Dellino Fabio Dioguardi Roberto Isaia Roberto Sulpizio Daniela Mele The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
description	Abstract Pyroclastic density currents are ground hugging gas-particle flows that originate from the collapse of an eruption column or lava dome. They move away from the volcano at high speed, causing devastation. The impact is generally associated with flow dynamic pressure and temperature. Little emphasis has yet been given to flow duration, although it is emerging that the survival of people engulfed in a current strongly depends on the exposure time. The AD 79 event of Somma-Vesuvius is used here to demonstrate the impact of pyroclastic density currents on humans during an historical eruption. At Herculaneum, at the foot of the volcano, the temperature and strength of the flow were so high that survival was impossible. At Pompeii, in the distal area, we use a new model indicating that the current had low strength and low temperature, which is confirmed by the absence of signs of trauma on corpses. Under such conditions, survival should have been possible if the current lasted a few minutes or less. Instead, our calculations demonstrate a flow duration of 17 min, long enough to make lethal the breathing of ash suspended in the current. We conclude that in distal areas where the mechanical and thermal effects of a pyroclastic density currents are diminished, flow duration is the key for survival.
format	article
author	Pierfrancesco Dellino Fabio Dioguardi Roberto Isaia Roberto Sulpizio Daniela Mele
author_facet	Pierfrancesco Dellino Fabio Dioguardi Roberto Isaia Roberto Sulpizio Daniela Mele
author_sort	Pierfrancesco Dellino
title	The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
title_short	The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
title_full	The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
title_fullStr	The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
title_full_unstemmed	The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
title_sort	impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the ad 79 eruption of vesuvius
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/d066734d445946f1b6208b27ffb5bcd6
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The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius

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