It’s hard to imagine a more horrendous way to go than death by volcano, but a new study might have done just that

It’s hard to imagine a more horrendous way to go than death by volcano, but a new study might have done just that.⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

A group of researchers from the Frederico II University Hospital in Naples theorize that some victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption died after the extreme heat of the explosion caused their blood to boil and their skulls to consequently explode.⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

In 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted, it launched volcanic ash, gas, and rocks for almost 21 miles, and for two days molten lava poured out. Those who lived in surrounding cities like Oplontis, Pompeii, and Herculaneum could not evacuate in time and almost everyone met gruesome ends.⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀

See the photos and learn more about this interesting discovery by clicking the link in our bio.

Of the many eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, a major stratovolcano in southern Italy, the best-known is its eruption in 79 AD, which was one of the deadliest in European history.[2] The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is one of the best-known in history

In the autumn of 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius violently spewed forth a deadly cloud of super-heated tephra and gases to a height of 33 km (21 mi), ejecting molten rock, pulverized pumice and hot ash at 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event gives its name to the Vesuvian type of volcanic eruption, characterised by columns of hot gases and ash reaching the stratosphere, although the event also included pyroclastic flows associated with Pelean eruptions.

The event destroyed several towns and minor settlements in the area, at the time part of the Roman Empire. Pompeii and Herculaneum, obliterated and buried underneath massive pyroclastic surges and ashfall deposits, are the most famous examples.

After archaeological excavations revealed much about the lives of the inhabitants, the area became a major tourist attraction and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of Vesuvius National Park.

The total population of both cities was over 20,000.

 The remains of over 1,500 people have been found at Pompeii and Herculaneum so far, although the total death toll from the eruption remains unknown.