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Volcanic Disasters in Modern and Ancient Times: A Comparison
This essay will address social issues concerned with the volcanic eruptions. As it is an interesting topic, I will be writing about two volcanic disasters. Firstly, I will discuss the A.D. 79 Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Secondly, I will talk about the 2013 Eruption of Sumatra Volcano. Later, I will be making a comparison between the mentioned volcanic eruptions and the damage they caused.
The question is what causes volcanoes to erupt? An eruption starts when there is a pressure on magma chamber. This pressure forces magma to rise up through the conduit and come out the volcanoes’ vents (“4.1.”). It can be understood with the example of a stopple-blocked pipe. The pressure in such a pipe builds up to the point of explosion. Same happens in volcanic eruptions.
Mount Vesuvius is situated on the west coast of Italy. It is the only active volcano on mainland Europe that is thousands of years old. Astonishingly, it has erupted more than fifty times. However, it is renowned for its catastrophic eruption in A.D. 79 when the whole city of Pompeii destroyed as a consequence (Carolis & Patricelli).
The stated volcano is regarded as a complex strato-volcano. This is because its eruptions usually consist of both explosive eruptions and pyro-clastic flows. Vesuvius is a significant part of the Campanian volcanic arc just like a number of other volcanoes in Italy like CampiFlegrei and Stromboli. A tectonic boundary that conjoins African and Eurasian plates supports the Campanian arc.
Mount Vesuvius is considered as one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes. The reason behind this consideration is that it lies near the Naples city that is densely populated. In A.D. 79, the volcano caused the death of two thousand people. This natural catastrophe also abandoned the city for many years (Willard 69). The rediscovery of the city took place in 1748. The city was rediscovered by the explorers in a preserved and almost intact state as the volcanic ash had buried it in an instant. A lot of survivors reported that the land was flooded with the dust and the whole city was shrouded in darkness. It was the same time when Pompeii was going through a slow recovery from a major A.D. 62 earthquake that had rocked the city. The shallow earthquake that originated under Mount Vesuvius had dome significant damage to the springs and piping through which the city received its water. A number of temples and public buildings were also recreated. According to Seneca, a well-known historian, the quakes continued to shake the city for several days. This caused heavy damage to the Herculaneum town. The Naples city also suffered minor damage before the final collapse (Thompson & Turk 199). It is also important to mention here that several minor shakes followed the major quake during the subsequent years.
Even though Mount Vesuvius had been erupting for generations and destroyed many small villages, people easily overlooked its bad temper. This is because the area was so pleasant to live in with sunny climate. This is the main reason why the city developed and population grew with every passing year. For the same reason and because seismic activity was a usual natural phenomenon in the area, n particular attention was paid by the citizens in A.D. 79 August when several quakes caused earth to shake beneath Herculaneum and Pompeii. The explosion was unexpected and people were not prepared. Just after noon, the volcano exploded and erupted violently. According to a witness, the gigantic debris cloud “resembled a (Mediterranean) pine more than any other tree. Like a very high tree the cloud went high and expanded in different branches. sometimes white, sometimes dark and stained by the sustained sand and ashes” (Bagley). The sun in Pompeii disappeared by 1pm due to ash blockage. The volcanic ash fell on house rooftops at a rate of more or less 15 cm/hour. The Herculaneum town was surrounded by a wall of volcanic mud soon after midnight. Thus, the people started to move to Pompeii as the town was completely obliterated. The next morning came with a radiant cloud made up of volcanic gases and debris. The slopes of Vesuvius and Pompeii city got covered with this cloud. As a consequence, a good number of victims died at once because of the superheated air that affected their lungs and also resulted in muscles’ contraction. The sea in Misenum also started to retreat as the earthquake caused it to push due to a tsunami at the pinnacle of the explosion.
Sumatra Volcano Eruption
A more recent volcanic eruption happened in Indonesia in year 2013 in the month of July. According to reports, a volcanic eruption in Medan, Western Indonesia caused about six thousand people to evacuate their villages due to Mount Sinabung explosion ("Hundreds evacuated as Sumatran volcano erupts”). Before that, the Mount Sinabung had erupted in August 2010. As a result, two people had died and about thirty thousand people had to flee from the area. It is important to mention here that the scientists were unsuccessful in monitoring the volcano as it had been inactive for four centuries. After being inactive for a span of three years, the volcano (2,600-meter) erupted again and sent thick ash into the sky and rained small rocks on the surrounding areas ("Sumatra volcano erupts, shooting ash"). There was no significant damage done and most of the population was moved to other locations. As compared with the consequences of the volcanic eruption in the ancient times, the people were given every possible facility. Afterwards, although gray smoke remained covered the area, there were no fatalities. Authorities were also quick enough to response and also asked residents to remain alert for other potential eruptions.
Conclusion
Works Cited
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Bagley, M. "Mount Vesuvius & Pompeii: Facts & History." LiveScience.com. N.p., 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Dec. 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/27871-mount-vesuvius-pompeii.html>.
Carolis , E. D. & Patricelli, G. Vesuvius, A.D. 79: The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2003. Print.
"Hundreds evacuated as Sumatran volcano erupts." TODAYonline. N.p., 3 Nov. 2013. Web. 2 Jan. 2014. <http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/hundreds-evacuated-sumatran-volcano-erupts>.
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Thompson, G. R. & Turk, J. Earth Science and the Environment. Australia: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2007. Print.
Townsend, R. L. 2013: Beginning an Era of Hope and Harmony. Bloomington: Balboa Press, 2011. Print.
Willard, E. Ancient Geography: As Connected with Chronology, and Preparatory to the Study of Ancient History. Washington: Beach and Beckwith, 1835. Print.
