Abstract
AbstractA new stratigraphic survey of the pyroclastic deposits blanketing Pompeii ruins shows departures from prior reconstruction of the events that occurred inside the town during the two main phases (pumice fallout and pyroclastic density currents) of the ad 79 Vesuvius eruption. We document the depth and distribution of subaerial erosion surfaces in the upper part of the pyroclastic sequence, formed during two short-lived breaks occurring in the course of the second phase of the eruption. These pauses could explain why 50% of the victims were found in the streets during the pyroclastic density currents phase.
Highlights
Plinian eruptions are powerful explosive volcanic events that impact large areas
The lower layer (C1) was previously always identified at locations north of Pompeii or near the northern wall of the town (Sigurdsson et al 1985), suggesting deposition from a pyroclastic current that did not have enough energy to overtop the northern walls of Pompeii
Our finding of layer C1 in regio V indicates that the first pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) was locally able to overtop the northern walls, penetrating the town by about 200 m
Summary
Plinian eruptions are powerful explosive volcanic events that impact large areas. High eruptive columns are supplied by elevated magma discharge rates (106–108 kg s–1) that sustain plumes for hours to days (Cioni et al 2000). To secure the ancient excavation front, a re-profiling with gentle slopes is underway Along this front (and in a few older excavated areas in Pompeii), new AD 79 pyroclastic sections are well exposed, allowing us to observe the presence of erosive scars and gullies at two well-defined stratigraphic heights. These erosive structures have been identified at three different locations, along the northern boundary of the town walls (Tower IX) and in the central part of Pompeii (near the Polibius house and close to Schola Armaturarum). The description of the short-lived erosion processes within Plinian tephra blankets, well constrained in time, is relatively rare, and here we provide stratigraphical constraints of multiple syneruptive episodes that occurred 10 km from the vent on a very gentle slope
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