Volcanic Death

Human remains from 79 AD provide scientists with critical clues about the 'blood boiling' power of Vesuvius' pyroclastic flow.

Naked Science: Vesuvius Time Bomb : http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/all/Overview

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Vesuvius Time Bomb
• 4231
• Science & Technology: Science
• Italy
• Naples
• Pompeii
• Mt. Vesuvius
• eruptions
• volcano
• pyroclastic flow
• national geographic

[Syeno]

Get ready for the wall of thumbs down coming your way.

[rlizak]

They know how they died. They are trying to figure out EXACTLY how they died and how quick.

They want to know if the pyroclastic blast immediately kills. So then they can actually be able to warn the civilians who live around the volcanoes.

Since it does kill immediately, they need to be able to evacuate immediately as soon as knowledge of an eruption is available.

If anyone actually watched this.. you would understand. -_-

[CresseliaChannel]

so they died 2090 years ago.

[gaskleronts]

@Syeno why?

[dajokn19]

If you think about it, its really weird how these guys can sit there surrounded by hundreds of bodies and not show any emotion as they describe their death.

[arlenice1]

@doctorsamadams :

Long ago I read material that indicated that the people had time to flee; however, they first consulted with the fortunetellers about it and the people were told that the chicken killed indicate that

there was no danger! I couldn't believe it; yet it is true, even now

many people won't go to work or anywhere if their horoscope shows

that there may be danger...go firgure!

[mushugai]

better than dying slowly :-/

[katchison]

The heat probably curled them up, and there were probably a lot of people not in safe places that just dont have remains.

[donotpeek47]

You know whats weird? These remains could be distant relatives of one of us and we'd never know it :P hah.

[doctorsamadams]

Because the eruption began before the pyroclastic flow killed them. They probably had snacks in the shelter.

What I don't understand is how the modern day residents face the same fate as their ancestors when everyone in the town died.

[kissmybuttdimple]

they ACT like they are SCIENTISTS... but in reality.. they are just FREAKS. come on NATURAL GEOGRAPHIC... we want to see the brains EXPLODE... stop teasing us .

[TigreCorazon]

I dont get this:

he says

"they died in mid-sentence, mid-Swallow of Food, in about one two hundreths of a second. faster than a person can flinch."

But if it was so instantaneous that they supposedly seemed to be caught off guard, then how is it that all the skeletons were found huddled up under where they thought was safe shelter?

seemed to me like they were taking cover and preparing, not sitting around eating a snack.