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The impact of pyroclastic density currents duration on humans: the case of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius
Author(s)
Language
English
Obiettivo Specifico
5V. Processi eruttivi e post-eruttivi
Status
Published
JCR Journal
JCR Journal
Peer review journal
Yes
Title of the book
Issue/vol(year)
/11 (2021)
Publisher
Nature PG
Pages (printed)
4959
Issued date
March 2, 2021
Subjects
04.04. Geology
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.
References
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295, 314–320 (2010).
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Res. 178, 416–453 (2008).
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current dynamics. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 261, 316–329 (2013).
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10. Gurioli, L., Cioni, R., Sbrana, A. & Zanella, E. Transport and deposition of pyroclastic density currents over an inhabited area: the
deposits of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius at Herculaneum, Italy. Sedimentology 49, 929–953 (2002).
11. Cioni, R., Gurioli, L., Sbrana, A. & Vougioukalakis, G. Precursory phenomena and destructive events related to the Late Bronze
Age Minoan (Thera, Greece) and AD 79 (Vesuvius, Italy) Plinian eruptions: inferences from the stratigraphy in the archaeological
areas, in The Archaeology of Geological Catastrophes, edited by W. G. McGuire et al. Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 171, 123–141 (2000).
12. Luongo, G. et al. Impact of the AD 79 eruption on Pompeii, II. Causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphic analysis
and areal distribution of the human causalities. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 126, 169–200 (2003).
13. Scarpati, C., Perrotta, A., Martellone, A. & Osanna, M. Pompeian hiatuses: new stratigraphic data highlight pauses in the course
of the AD 79 eruption at Pompeii. Geol. Mag. 157, 695–700 (2020).
14. Branney, M. J. & Kokelaar, P. Pyroclastic Density Currents and the Sedimentation of Ignimbrites 27 (Geological Society, London,
Memoirs, 2002).
15. Dellino, P., Mele, D., Sulpizio, R., La Volpe, L. & Braia, G. A method for the calculation of the impact parameters of dilute pyroclastic
density currents based on deposits particle characteristics. J. Geophys. Res. 113, B07206 (2008).
16. Lube, G., Breard, E. C. P., Cronin, S. J. & Jones, J. Synthesizing large-scale pyroclastic flows: experimental design, scaling, and first
results from PELE. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 120, 1487–1502 (2015).
17. Quaglierini, C. Chimica delle fibre tessili. Zanichelli (2nd ed.) pp. 354 (2012).
18. Dioguardi, F. & Dellino, P. PYFLOW: a computer code for the calculation of the impact parameters of Dilute Pyroclastic Density
Currents (DPDC) based on field data. Comput. Geosci. 66, 200–210 (2014).
19. Cioni, R., Gurioli, L., Lanza, R. & Zanella, E. Temperatures of the A. D. 79 pyroclastic density current deposits (Vesuvius, Italy).
J. Geophys. Res. 109, B02207 (2004).
20. Rolandi, G., Paone, A., Di Lascio, M. & Stefani, G. The 79 AD eruption of Somma: the relationship between the date of the eruption
and the southeast tephra dispersion. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 169, 87–89 (2007).
21. Zanella, E., Gurioli, L., Pareschi, M. T. & Lanza, R. Influences of urban fabric on pyroclastic density currents at Pompeii (Italy): 2.
Temperature of the deposits and hazard implications. J. Geophys. Res. 112, B05214 (2007).
22. Dellino, F., Dioguardi, F., Doronzo, D. M. & Mele, D. The entrainment rate of non Boussinesq hazardous geophysical gas-particle
flows: an experimental model with application to pyroclstic density currents. Geophys. Res. Lett. 46(22), 12851–12861 (2019).
23. Lube, G. et al. Generation of air lubrification within pyroclastic density currents. Nat. Geosci. 12(5), 381–386 (2019).
24. Trolese, M. et al. Very rapid cooling of the energetic pyroclastic density currents associated with the 5 November 2010 Merapi
eruption (Indonesia). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 358, 1–12 (2018).
25. Dioguardi, F. & Mele, D. PYFLOW_2.0: a computer program for calculating flow properties and impact parameters of past dilute
pyroclastic density currents based on field data. Bull. Volcanol. 80, 28 (2018).
26. Giordano, G. et al. Thermal interaction of the AD79 Vesuvius pyroclastic density currents and their deposits at Villa dei Papiri
(Herculaneum archaeological site, Italy). Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 490, 180–192 (2018).
27. Mastrolorenzo, G. et al. Archaeology: Herculaneum victims of Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Nature 410, 769–770 (2001).
28. Petrone, P. et al. A hypothesis of sudden body fluid vaporization in the 79 AD victims of Vesuvius (2020). PLoSONE 13(9), e0203210
(2018).
29. Gurioli, L., Zanella, E., Pareschi, M. T. & Lanza, R. Influences of urban fabric on pyroclastic density currents at Pompeii (Italy): 1.
Flow direction and deposition. J. Geophys. Res. 112, B05213 (2007).
30. Nakada, S. Hazards from Pyroclastic Flows and Surges. In Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (eds Sigurdsson, H. et al.) (Academic Press,
Cambridge, 2000).
31. Valentine, G. A. Stratified flow in pyroclastic surges. Bull. Volcanol. 49, 616–630 (1987).
32. Brown, R. J. & Branney, M. J. Internal flow variations and diachronous sedimentation within extensive, sustained, density stratified
pyroclastic density currents down gentle slopes, as revealed by the internal architectures of ignimbrites in Tewnerife. Bull. Volcanol.
75, 1–24 (2013).
33. Mele, D. et al. Hazard of pyroclastic density currents at the Campi Flegrei Caldera (Southern Italy) as deduced from the combined
use of facies architecture, physical modeling and statistics of the impact parameters. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 299, 35–53 (2015).
34. Mele, D., Dellino, P., Sulpizio, R. & Braia, G. A systematic investigation on the aerodynamics of ash particles. J. Volcanol. Geotherm.
Res. 203, 1–11 (2011).
35. Rouse, H. An analysis of sediment transportation in the light of fluid turbulence. Soil Conservation Services Report No. SCS-TP-25
(USDA, Washington, D.C., 1939).
36. Dellino, P. et al. The analysis of the influence of pumice shape on its terminal velocity. Geophys. Res. Lett. 32, L21306 (2005).
37. Furbish, D. J. Fluid Physics in Geology 476 (Oxford University Press, New York, 1997).
38. Dellino, P., Dioguardi, F., Doronzo, D. M. & Mele, D. The rate of sedimentation from turbulent suspension: an experimental model
with application to pyroclastic density currents and discussion on the grain-size dependence of flow mobility. Sedimentology 66(1),
129–145 (2019).
and its application to Vesuvius. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 133, 321–343 (2004).
2. Horwell, C. J. & Baxter, P. The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: A review for volcanic risk mitigation. Bull. Volcanol. 69,
1–24 (2006).
3. Dellino, P. et al. Experimental evidence links volcanic particle characteristics to pyroclastic flow hazard. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.
295, 314–320 (2010).
4. Zuccaro, G., Cacace, F., Spence, R. J. S. & Baxter, P. J. Impact of explosive eruption scenarios at Vesuvius. J. Volcanol. Geotherm.
Res. 178, 416–453 (2008).
5. Zuccaro, G. & Leone, M. Building technologies for the mitigation of volcanic risk: Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei. Nat. Hazards Rev.
13(3), 221–232 (2012).
6. Jenkins, S. et al. The Merapi 2010 eruption: An interdisciplinary impact assessment methodology for studying pyroclastic density
current dynamics. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 261, 316–329 (2013).
7. Baxter, P. J. et al. Human survival in volcanic eruptions: thermal injuries in pyroclastic surges, their causes, prognosis and emergency
management. Burns 43, 1051–1069 (2017).
8. Buettner, K. Effects of extreme heat in man. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 144, 732–738 (1950).
9. Sigurdsson, H., Carey, S., Cornell, W. & Pescatore, T. The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Natl. Geogr. Res. 1, 332–387 (1985).
10. Gurioli, L., Cioni, R., Sbrana, A. & Zanella, E. Transport and deposition of pyroclastic density currents over an inhabited area: the
deposits of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius at Herculaneum, Italy. Sedimentology 49, 929–953 (2002).
11. Cioni, R., Gurioli, L., Sbrana, A. & Vougioukalakis, G. Precursory phenomena and destructive events related to the Late Bronze
Age Minoan (Thera, Greece) and AD 79 (Vesuvius, Italy) Plinian eruptions: inferences from the stratigraphy in the archaeological
areas, in The Archaeology of Geological Catastrophes, edited by W. G. McGuire et al. Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 171, 123–141 (2000).
12. Luongo, G. et al. Impact of the AD 79 eruption on Pompeii, II. Causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphic analysis
and areal distribution of the human causalities. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 126, 169–200 (2003).
13. Scarpati, C., Perrotta, A., Martellone, A. & Osanna, M. Pompeian hiatuses: new stratigraphic data highlight pauses in the course
of the AD 79 eruption at Pompeii. Geol. Mag. 157, 695–700 (2020).
14. Branney, M. J. & Kokelaar, P. Pyroclastic Density Currents and the Sedimentation of Ignimbrites 27 (Geological Society, London,
Memoirs, 2002).
15. Dellino, P., Mele, D., Sulpizio, R., La Volpe, L. & Braia, G. A method for the calculation of the impact parameters of dilute pyroclastic
density currents based on deposits particle characteristics. J. Geophys. Res. 113, B07206 (2008).
16. Lube, G., Breard, E. C. P., Cronin, S. J. & Jones, J. Synthesizing large-scale pyroclastic flows: experimental design, scaling, and first
results from PELE. J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth 120, 1487–1502 (2015).
17. Quaglierini, C. Chimica delle fibre tessili. Zanichelli (2nd ed.) pp. 354 (2012).
18. Dioguardi, F. & Dellino, P. PYFLOW: a computer code for the calculation of the impact parameters of Dilute Pyroclastic Density
Currents (DPDC) based on field data. Comput. Geosci. 66, 200–210 (2014).
19. Cioni, R., Gurioli, L., Lanza, R. & Zanella, E. Temperatures of the A. D. 79 pyroclastic density current deposits (Vesuvius, Italy).
J. Geophys. Res. 109, B02207 (2004).
20. Rolandi, G., Paone, A., Di Lascio, M. & Stefani, G. The 79 AD eruption of Somma: the relationship between the date of the eruption
and the southeast tephra dispersion. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 169, 87–89 (2007).
21. Zanella, E., Gurioli, L., Pareschi, M. T. & Lanza, R. Influences of urban fabric on pyroclastic density currents at Pompeii (Italy): 2.
Temperature of the deposits and hazard implications. J. Geophys. Res. 112, B05214 (2007).
22. Dellino, F., Dioguardi, F., Doronzo, D. M. & Mele, D. The entrainment rate of non Boussinesq hazardous geophysical gas-particle
flows: an experimental model with application to pyroclstic density currents. Geophys. Res. Lett. 46(22), 12851–12861 (2019).
23. Lube, G. et al. Generation of air lubrification within pyroclastic density currents. Nat. Geosci. 12(5), 381–386 (2019).
24. Trolese, M. et al. Very rapid cooling of the energetic pyroclastic density currents associated with the 5 November 2010 Merapi
eruption (Indonesia). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 358, 1–12 (2018).
25. Dioguardi, F. & Mele, D. PYFLOW_2.0: a computer program for calculating flow properties and impact parameters of past dilute
pyroclastic density currents based on field data. Bull. Volcanol. 80, 28 (2018).
26. Giordano, G. et al. Thermal interaction of the AD79 Vesuvius pyroclastic density currents and their deposits at Villa dei Papiri
(Herculaneum archaeological site, Italy). Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 490, 180–192 (2018).
27. Mastrolorenzo, G. et al. Archaeology: Herculaneum victims of Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Nature 410, 769–770 (2001).
28. Petrone, P. et al. A hypothesis of sudden body fluid vaporization in the 79 AD victims of Vesuvius (2020). PLoSONE 13(9), e0203210
(2018).
29. Gurioli, L., Zanella, E., Pareschi, M. T. & Lanza, R. Influences of urban fabric on pyroclastic density currents at Pompeii (Italy): 1.
Flow direction and deposition. J. Geophys. Res. 112, B05213 (2007).
30. Nakada, S. Hazards from Pyroclastic Flows and Surges. In Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (eds Sigurdsson, H. et al.) (Academic Press,
Cambridge, 2000).
31. Valentine, G. A. Stratified flow in pyroclastic surges. Bull. Volcanol. 49, 616–630 (1987).
32. Brown, R. J. & Branney, M. J. Internal flow variations and diachronous sedimentation within extensive, sustained, density stratified
pyroclastic density currents down gentle slopes, as revealed by the internal architectures of ignimbrites in Tewnerife. Bull. Volcanol.
75, 1–24 (2013).
33. Mele, D. et al. Hazard of pyroclastic density currents at the Campi Flegrei Caldera (Southern Italy) as deduced from the combined
use of facies architecture, physical modeling and statistics of the impact parameters. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 299, 35–53 (2015).
34. Mele, D., Dellino, P., Sulpizio, R. & Braia, G. A systematic investigation on the aerodynamics of ash particles. J. Volcanol. Geotherm.
Res. 203, 1–11 (2011).
35. Rouse, H. An analysis of sediment transportation in the light of fluid turbulence. Soil Conservation Services Report No. SCS-TP-25
(USDA, Washington, D.C., 1939).
36. Dellino, P. et al. The analysis of the influence of pumice shape on its terminal velocity. Geophys. Res. Lett. 32, L21306 (2005).
37. Furbish, D. J. Fluid Physics in Geology 476 (Oxford University Press, New York, 1997).
38. Dellino, P., Dioguardi, F., Doronzo, D. M. & Mele, D. The rate of sedimentation from turbulent suspension: an experimental model
with application to pyroclastic density currents and discussion on the grain-size dependence of flow mobility. Sedimentology 66(1),
129–145 (2019).
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