THE DESTRUCTION AND ERUPTION OF POMPEII
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On August 24th 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius erupted. The destruction of Pompeii killed about 2,000 Pompeii citizens, which is 13 percent of Pompeii's total population. It was one of the deadliest eruptions ever. The lava was about 1,300 degrees. The eruption happened so fast that nobody had time to fully evacuate. The amount of energy released by the eruption was about 100,000 times the thermal energy released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Coincidentally, the eruption occurred one day after the religious festival honoring Venus, the Roman god of fire. The city of Pompeii got the full blast of the eruption because it was 5 miles from the Mt. Vesuvius.
THE LOCATION
Pompeii, an ancient Italian city, was built on the side of a "mountain", named Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Vesuvius is actually a volcano, but was thought to be a mountain. Pompeii is a popular tourist attraction. Pompeii was a very well known city, but it was practically erased from the map.
WHY IT HAPPENED
Nobody knows for sure why Mt. Vesuvius erupted, but some events are very contributing factors to the eruption, such as minor earthquakes leading up to the eruption. Once Pompeii had a huge earthquake, and Pompeii citizens were still rebuilding the city when disaster struck.
THE POMPEII PEOPLE
Some Pompeii citizens noticed a big cloud forming over Mt. Vesuvius and tried to warn people of an oncoming eruption, but not a lot of people believed them. Those people who didn't evacuate died, and the people who listened probably got out alive.
THE BODIES
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Many people got caught in the hot lava, in the middle of trying to evacuate the city. Everybody from pets to parents with their children were caught in the last moment of their lives. Architects today dug up the 16 feet of ash and found holes in the shape of bodies, in the stance of running for their lives. The architects filled these holes with plaster to form casts of the ancient bodies. They found thousands of holes which they turned into casts.
THE CITY ITSELF
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The city of Pompeii was only 12 acres. But they had a big population: of almost 20,000 people. Pompeii was built on the side of Mt. Vesuvius. The city Herculaneum was also built on the side of Mt. Vesuvius, and also received a big blow from the eruption, but nowhere near as big as the destruction of Pompeii.