Volcano Photo-enquiry 1 Vesuvius and Pompeii

All photographs can be used in any teaching and learning context in a school but cannot be used for any other purposes without prior permission of Chris Durbin

1How did these people die?

	1.1 How do you explain these petrified bodies? What has it got to do with geography? Just for a moment think about these people's lives. What happened? Did he feel any pain? How did they die?
	1.2 How do you explain this town is both deserted and when it was found it was buried under 50 metres of rubble and ash.
	1.3 This is the reason. In AD 55. The Volcano Vesuvius blew its lid. Pliny spotted it. Since then the name of this highly explosive sudden eruption is called a 'Plinian' eruption.
	1.4 Today there is evidence of volcanic activity everywhere.  Let us start at the top of Vesuvius.
	1.5 Today Vesuvius is dormant, smouldering and with this massive chasm at the top. This is the crater.
	1.6 The cone going up to the crater shows you how big volcanic bombs can be
	1.7 and how small.  This is often called lapilli.
	1.8 Lava is sometime slow and sticky. The Hawaiians call it A a. [pronounced ar ar]
	1.9 and other times fast and runny. This ia Pa hoe hoe [pronounced Par hoi hoi]
	1.10 Today the question on everyone from Naples minds is when will it erupt again?
	1.11 Will these instruments help? I don't think so.  But others might! a seismometer?
	1.12 It is important to understand that this people were engulfed in seconds and died instantly from gas poisoning or heat. Their bodies then decayed and left hollows in the deposit. What you see here is a plaster cast, made by pouring plaster into the space left by a dead person.
	Thanks to David Wailes, Head of Humanities, Moorside High School, Salford for his efforts.

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This page last updated 14 March 2007