Pompeii Damaged by Volcaniclastic Debris Flows Triggered Centuries Prior to the 79 A.D. Vesuvius Eruption

Abstract

This study records that Pompeii, long before its final devastation by the 79 A.D. Vesuvius eruption in southern Italy, was damaged by several mass gravity flows. Composition of the deposits indicates that they were derived from volcaniclastic cover of carbonate highlands positioned 14 km NE of the city. Stratigraphic and petrologic analyses of sections in excavations and drill cores in and near Pompeii record the presence of three downslope‐directed debris flows dated between 8th and 2nd century B.C. Some of these deposits were channelized via a stream bed that once extended from high reliefs to Pompeii. It is proposed that one of these events may have been partially responsible for urban decline during the 4th century B.C. These mass flows are interpreted as having been triggered primarily by intense rains in a manner similar to those that have occurred and destroyed towns in this region during the past 50 years. Our investigation shows that Pompeii and adjacent areas in the past, much as in recent time, have likely been most frequently susceptible to episodic damage by avalanches and mass flows of volcaniclastic material resulting from hydrological effects rather than from volcanic events, earthquake tremors, and societal disruptions such as wars.

A Geoarchaeological Survey of the Marine Extension of the Roman Archaeological Site Villa del Pezzolo, Vico Equense, on the Sorrento Peninsula, Italy

“…The importance of this archaeological site is twofold. First, it provides a useful chronological constraint for coastal evolution during the last 2000 years, and second, it provides important insights into the dramatic effects of a Plinian Vesuvius eruption on local communities (Cinque & Robustelli, 2009;Senatore, Ciarallo, & Stanley, 2014). Past geoarchaeological surveys of this site were only conducted for the terrestrial portion of the villa (Cinque, Robustelli, & Russo, 2000;Cinque & Robustelli, 2009).…”

The Ancient Rural Settlement Structure in the Hinterland of Pompeii Inferred from Spatial Analysis and Predictive Modeling of Villae Rusticae

“…Natural physiographic characteristics of the Sarno River plain, such as high soil fertility, provided excellent conditions for agriculture. Ploughed fields are attested since the Bronze Age, for example, in the hillside area of Boscoreale (Albore Livadie et al, 2001) or in the river plain near Scafati (Senatore et al, 2014;Vogel et al, 2015).…”

“…The coastline changed due to the accumulation of large amounts of volcanic material by shifting approximately 1.3 km westwards into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Today, the former land surface is buried underneath a deep stratification of volcanic deposits that are between 1 and 15 m in thickness (Pescatore et al, 2001;Vogel & Märker, 2010;Vogel et al, 2011;Senatore et al, 2014). Even though this burial perfectly preserved the ancient cultural landscape of the Sarno River plain, it hinders conventional archaeological methodologies to investigate the wider territory on a large scale using approaches such as field survey, geophysical prospection, or remote sensing.…”

The geology of the 2nd century A.D. Amphitheater Area of Catania, Italy: Historical Eruptions Affecting the Urban District

“…(Tanguy et al, 2007), (2) Neolithic artifacts are present on this lava flow (Privitera & La Rosa, 2007), and (3) the few historical sources instead describe a violent explosive eruption with thick ashfall on the roofs of the buildings. This interdisciplinary approach has successfully been adopted in other archaeological sites affected by volcanic activity, such as the case of Pompei (Senatore, Ciarallo, & Stanley, 2014), in order to better reconstruct natural hazard impacts during the history of civilization. Concerning this last point, tephrostratigraphic investigations by Coltelli, Del Carlo, and Vezzoli (1998) have reconstructed and dated with 14 C the widespread pyroclastic fall deposit related to a plinian eruption occurring in 122 B.C., according to historical sources.…”

“…The resulting new geological reconstruction of the area is related to archaeological data from the urban district of Catania with the aim of better defining the historical eruptions affecting this highly populated area. This interdisciplinary approach has successfully been adopted in other archaeological sites affected by volcanic activity, such as the case of Pompei (Senatore, Ciarallo, & Stanley, 2014), in order to better reconstruct natural hazard impacts during the history of civilization.…”