Natural+Disasters

=__**Roman Natural Disasters**__=

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=__The Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 79 A.D.__= Many natural disasters effected the Roman civilization. The most famous one is the eruption of the volcano Mt.Vesuvius. In August of 79 A.D., the volcano erupted, covering the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Many thousands were stopped in their tracks when this volcano erupted in 79 A.D. These two towns were covered completely in ash. Pompeii was covered in ten feet while Herculaneum was covered in almost 75 feet of ash. Many other disasters and destruction of cities occurred due to earthquakes and wildfires before and after this eruption. The two towns were rediscovered in 1748, and archeologists were amazed by the fact that the ruins were in such good shape. The ash preserved these ruins for many years, and time just froze after the volcano buried the towns. Plaster casts were formed where the dead bodies were covered. Many other items were plastered and preserved due to the deep blanket of ash. Vesuvius erupted many times during the Roman Era, and most recently in 1944. The volcano is still active today.

__**Did you know?**__ Volcanologists today use "Plinian" to describe large volcanic clouds that appear after a volcano erupts. They use this because Pliny the Younger wrote the oldest description of the cloud that appeared after Vesuvius erupted. Here's his description;

“On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew [my uncle’s] attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance… its general appearance can be best expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. Sometimes it looked white, sometimes blotched and dirty, according to the amount of soil and ashes it carried with it.”

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Pompeii, years later.

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Scrolls were recovered years later after the volcano erupted, and archeologists were still able to read them.

=**The Great Roman Fire**=

In A.D. 64, a large fire wiped through the heart of the Roman empire. This fire is said to have burned for 5 and a half days, spreading quickly through Rome. From this fire, 10 of the 14 districts of Rome greatly suffered, some were completely destroyed. Some say that the emperor at the time, Nero, was singing and playing the lyre in a costume while the city burned, others found that it was a rumor. The reason for this fire is currently unknown, although some blamed it on Nero. To rid the blame, Nero pointed to the Christians who were completely innocent. Although after the occurrence of this fire, Rome soon became even more amazing than it was before. The city was soon rebuild with elaborate marble and stone structures with wide streets that spread throughout the city. The city also soon held large water supplies that could put out any future fires. Even the leftover debris from the fire were useful. The debris were spread throughout marshes that were infected by Malaria, and had plagued the city for generations.

=**Time Line of Natural Disasters in Pompeii**=

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 * 62 A.D.**, before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii was destroyed by an earthquake. Though after some time, the city was quickly rebuilt.
 * 79 A.D.** Mt. Vesuvius erupts burying Pompeii and Herculaneum in ashes and cinders. This blackened the sky over Naples for three days.
 * 202 A.D.** Mt. Vesuvius erupts for a week straight.
 * 306-533 A.D.** Mt. Vesuvius erupts at least four times within this time period.
 * 1631 AD** Mt Vesuvius erupts again. This is the worst eruptions since the eruption in 79 AD and by far. All the towns below the volcano are destroyed because of the 7 separate streams of lava that flow from the volcano in this eruption.
 * 1944 AD** Mt. Vesuvius erupts again.

=﻿**Mt. Vesuvius-Plate Tectonics**=



Mt. Vesuvius is part of an arc of volcanoes. The volcanoe exists in a zone that was created from the combination of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. This certain zone streatches to be the length of the Italian penninsula. As you can see from the photo, Mt. Vesuvius is located directly above something called a slab window. This slab window makes it so the rocks on Mt. Vesuvius are chemically different from the rocks on the volcanoes surrounding this mountain.