Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD

The eruptive period lasted two days. [46] The first phase, which lasted about 18 hours and allowed most residents to flee, was pumice rain (lapilli). The fact that only about 1,150 bodies have been discovered on site so far[47] seems to support this notion, and most escapees are likely to have managed to rescue some of their most expensive possessions; several skeletons have been discovered carrying jewelry, money, and silverware.
Pyroclastic flows, consisting of high-speed, dense, and extremely hot ash clouds, began near the volcano at some point during the night or early the next day, completely or partially destroying all structures in their path, incinerating or suffocating the remaining population, and altering the landscape, including the coastline. The eruption was over by the nightfall of the second day, leaving just a haze in its wake.
Heat, not ash suffocation, was the predominant cause of death at Pompeii and adjacent towns, according to a multidisciplinary volcanological and bio-anthropological study[48] of the eruption products and victims, fused with numerical models and tests. The findings of the study, published in 2010, demonstrate that even if individuals were covered within structures, exposure to at least 250 °C (480 °F) hot pyroclastic flows at a distance of 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the vent was enough to cause instant death. Pompeii's inhabitants and houses were buried in up to twelve separate layers of tephra, totaling up to 6 meters (19.7 feet) deep.
Pliny the Younger wrote a first-hand description of Mount Vesuvius' explosion from his Misenum perch across the Bay of Naples, although it was published 25 years afterwards. [49] Pliny the Elder, his uncle, perished while attempting to rescue trapped victims, with whom he had a strong relationship. Pliny the Elder, as commander of the fleet, had ordered the Imperial Navy ships stationed at Misenum to cross the harbor to aid evacuation efforts. Pliny the Younger's account of the eruption is so important that similar events are now referred to as "Plinian" by volcanologists. Based on one version of the letter, it was long assumed that the eruption occurred in August, although another version[50] specifies a date of the eruption as late as September.