Pyroclastic Surge

  I was indirectly tempted to read about the catastrophic eruption of Mt.

Vesuvius that had occurred on 24 August 79 AD.

 At the time Vesuvius had been dormant for nearly 800 years, and no longer even recognized as a volcano. I had just finished reading Stephen Greenblatt’s book, The Swerve, and in it he mentioned the enormous historical finds from the excavation of Herculaneum, even if I had been taught mostly about Pompeii and its total destruction.
  Based on archaeological excavations along with two letters from Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, (better known as Pliny the Younger for obvious reasons), to the Roman historian Tacitus, the course of the eruption can be reconstructed.
  At around 1 pm on 24 August, Vesuvius began spewing volcanic ash and stone thousands of meters into the sky. When it reached the tropopause the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere) the top of the cloud flattened, prompting Pliny to describe it to Tacitus as a Stone Pine tree, (also known as Italian Stone Pine and Umbrella Pine). The prevailing winds at the time blew toward the southeast, causing the volcanic material to fall primarily on the city of Pompeii and the surrounding area. Since Herculaneum lay to the west of Vesuvius, it was only mildly affected by the first phase of the eruption. While roofs in Pompeii collapsed under the weight of falling debris, only a few centimeters of ash fell on Herculaneum, causing little damage, but nonetheless prompting many inhabitants to flee.

  Because initial excavations revealed only a few skeletons of men, women and children, it was long thought that nearly all of the inhabitants had managed to escape. It wasn't until 1981, when the excavations reached the arches (perhaps boat houses) on the beach area, that this view changed. Archaeologists discovered several hundred skeletons huddled close together on the beach and in 12 arches facing the sea. Further excavations in the 1990s confirmed that at least 300 people had taken refuge in those chambers, while the town was almost completely evacuated.
  During the night, the eruptive column which had risen into the stratosphere collapsed onto Vesuvius and its flanks. The first pyroclastic surge, which is formed by a mixture of ash and hot gases, billowed through the evacuated town of Herculaneum at around 1 am moving at anywhere up to 290 miles per hour. It reached the beach and the boat houses, where those waiting for rescue were killed instantly by the intense heat, despite being sheltered from the direct impact. The study of the victims' postures and the effects on their skeletons indicate that the first surge caused the instant death of these people as a result of fulminant, (intense and severe as an explosive character) shock due to temperatures of about 932 °F. The intense heat caused contraction of hands and feet and possibly fracture of bones and teeth.
  Even with a vivid imagination I couldn’t get my mind around such a scene. Huddled families waiting and hoping for relief in the late hour of night, then suddenly be engulfed so rapidly in such an inferno.
Was there even time to scream?

  I suppose the great lesson for me is that we, and let me correct it to “I” live our lives/my life, pretty much in the same self involved and careless fashion as those citizens of Herculaneum had. Absorbed in routines and rituals of daily life never even considering what may descend on what would be otherwise a quiet and peaceful existence. Obviously plans can be changed without permission and for the permanent.