![]() ![]() This false-color satellite image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite shows the remnants of a large pyroclastic flow on the slopes of Shiveluch Volcano. Pyroclastic flows can incinerate, burn, or asphyxiate people who cannot get out of the flow path. The intense heat-over 1,000° Celsius (1800° Fahrenheit)-the terrific speed-up to 720 kilometers (450 miles) per hour-and the mixture of toxic gases all contribute to the deadly potential. More recently, pyroclastic flows from Mount Merapi in Indonesia caused most of the casualties during the volcano’s 2010 eruption. These avalanches of superheated ash, gas, and rock are responsible for some of the most famous volcanic disasters in history, including the burial of the ancient Roman city of Pompei and the destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902. The researchers also found evidence of burst skulls, likely due to vaporizing brain matter.Pyroclastic flows are some of the most fearsome hazards posed by erupting volcanoes. Study of the residue showed that it was iron, though the researchers could not say for certain if it came from blood or metal objects. Prior research has also shown that such residues can also be caused by blood being boiled away leaving behind suspended iron. ![]() Prior research suggested that such residue typically occurs when bones are burned in the vicinity of coins or other metal objects-the residue typically consists of iron particles. Upon taking a closer look at some of the remains, the researchers found red and black residue on parts of some of the bones. The team began their investigation after learning of reports of evidence of people dying from thermal shock. The researchers found evidence in the remains of many people who had sought refuge in a boathouse near the sea in Herculaneum. When a person is overcome by such a flow, the result is instant death. Pyroclastic flows are flows composed of gas and volcanic material-prior research has shown that they can flow downhill away from an eruption at speeds of up to 450 mph-and temperatures are as hot as 1000 degrees C. The researchers with this new effort have found that many of them were killed by the extreme heat of pyroclastic flows. But this was not the fate of many people living in the nearby city of Herculaneum. Extensive research has shown that most of the victims in Pompei died from injuries or suffocation due to the thick ash. So sudden was the disaster that many people were killed and buried in ash, leaving their "frozen" remains to be discovered by archaeologists approximately 1700 years later. Vesuvius erupted back in 79 AD and covered cities such as Pompei in ash. Most people learned in grade school that Mt. In their paper published on the open access site PLOS ONE, the group describes telltale signs of heat damage they found in the remains of people living in the ancient Roman city at the time. Vesuvius were killed by the extreme heat characteristic of pyroclastic flows. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203210Ī team of researchers at the Federico II University Hospital in Italy has found evidence that suggests many people living in Herculaneum during the 79 AD eruption of Mt. The skull of this victim was lying in the ash bed on its left side. 6, chamber 12) charring of the fractured margins is evident (white arrows) (bar scale 10 cm). Exploded skull showing a partly dark stained inner table (right side, adult male, ind. Skullcap affected by a “stellate” fracture consisting of several cracks which radiate from a common center, characterized by charred outer margins (adult male, ind. Skull of an older-aged adult male showing a dark stained and cracked parietal bone (ind. Thermal effects in human victims' skeletons. ![]()
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