62 Pompeii earthquake

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62 Pompeii earthquake
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Local date5 February 62 (2062-02-05)
Magnitude5.2–6.1
Epicenter 40°42′N14°30′E / 40.7°N 14.5°E / 40.7; 14.5 Coordinates: 40°42′N14°30′E / 40.7°N 14.5°E / 40.7; 14.5 [1]
Areas affected Roman Empire, Campania
Max. intensity IX–X

The 62 Pompeii earthquake occurred on 5 February 62 AD. It had an estimated magnitude of between 5 and 6 and a maximum intensity of IX or X on the Mercalli intensity scale. The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were severely damaged. The earthquake may have been a precursor to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which destroyed the same two towns. The contemporary philosopher and dramatist Seneca the Younger wrote an account of the earthquake in the sixth book of his Naturales quaestiones , entitled De Terrae Motu (Concerning Earthquakes).

Pompeii Ancient Roman city near modern Naples, Italy

Pompeii was an ancient Roman city located in the modern comune of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was buried under 4 to 6 m of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Herculaneum Roman town destroyed by eruption of Mount Vesuvius

Located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 AD. Its ruins are located in the comune of Ercolano, Campania, Italy.

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 Volcanic eruption in the Roman Empire

Mount Vesuvius, a stratovolcano in modern-day Italy, erupted in 79 AD in one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in European history, which was witnessed and documented by Pliny the Younger, a Roman administrator and poet.

Contents

Geological setting

The epicentre of the earthquake lies within a zone of active extensional faulting, but close to the southern flank of Vesuvius. Analysis of focal mechanisms from the area around Vesuvius indicates that active faulting in the area involves NW–SE and NE–SW trending oblique-slip normal faults and E–W trending normal faults, part of the zone of active extension that extends the full length of the Apennines mountain chain, associated with continued opening of the Tyrrhenian Sea. [2] An association between earthquakes in the central Apennines and eruptions of Vesuvius has been proposed, but is not yet proven. [3]

Focal mechanism

The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and is also known as a fault-plane solution. Focal mechanisms are derived from a solution of the moment tensor for the earthquake, which itself is estimated by an analysis of observed seismic waveforms. The focal mechanism can be derived from observing the pattern of "first motions", that is, whether the first arriving P waves break up or down. This method was used before waveforms were recorded and analysed digitally and this method is still used for earthquakes too small for easy moment tensor solution. Focal mechanisms are now mainly derived using semi-automatic analysis of the recorded waveforms.

Tyrrhenian Sea Part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy

The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian people, identified since the 6th century BCE with the Etruscans of Italy.

Characteristics

The extent of damage has been used to estimate the magnitude of the earthquake. Estimates lie in the range from about 5 to 6.1. [4] The maximum felt intensity is estimated to have been in the range IX to X, [1] [5] and the area of highest intensity was elongated roughly WNW–ESE. [5] Shaking was reported to have continued for several days, [6] presumably referring to a sequence of aftershocks. The focal depth is estimated to have been in the range 5–6 km. [7]

An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousands of instrumentally detectable aftershocks, which steadily decrease in magnitude and frequency according to known laws. In some earthquakes the main rupture happens in two or more steps, resulting in multiple main shocks. These are known as doublet earthquakes, and in general can be distinguished from aftershocks in having similar magnitudes and nearly identical seismic waveforms.

Hypocenter site of an earthquake or a nuclear explosion

A hypocenter is the point of origin of an earthquake or a subsurface nuclear explosion. In seismology, it is a synonym of the focus. The term hypocenter is also used as a synonym for ground zero, the surface point directly beneath a nuclear airburst.

Damage

The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum both suffered major damage, with damage to some buildings also reported from Naples and Nuceria. [5] Seneca reported the death of a flock of 600 sheep that he attributed to the effects of poisonous gases. [6]

Naples Comune in Campania, Italy

Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy after Rome and Milan. In 2017, around 967,069 people lived within the city's administrative limits while its province-level municipality has a population of 3,115,320 residents. Its continuously built-up metropolitan area is the second or third largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the most densely populated cities in Europe.

Nocera Inferiore Comune in Campania, Italy

Nocera Inferiore is a city and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east-south-east of Naples by rail.

Aftermath

The damage caused by the mainshock and the subsequent series of tremors was at least partly repaired in both Pompeii and Herculaneum by the time of the AD 79 eruption. A pair of bas-reliefs, probably from the lararium in the house of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus in Pompeii, are interpreted as depicting the effects of the earthquake on structures including the Temple of Jupiter, the Aquarium of Cesar, and the Vesuvius Gate. [8]

Lares Familiares

Lares Familiares were household tutelary deities of ancient Roman religion. The singular form is Lar Familiaris.

Lucius Caecilius Iucundus Ancient Roman Banker

Lucius Caecilius Iucundus was a banker who lived in the Roman town of Pompeii around 14 A.D.–62 A.D. His house still stands and can be seen in the ruins of the city of Pompeii which remain after being partially destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. This house is known for its beauty, along with some material found about bank book-keeping and wax tablets, which were receipts. He is well known for being a central character in the Cambridge Latin Course series.

Temple of Jupiter (Pompeii)

The Temple of Jupiter, Capitolium, or Temple of the Capitoline Triad was a temple in Roman Pompeii, at the north end of its forum. Initially dedicated to Jupiter alone, it was built in the mid-2nd century BC at the same time as the temple of Apollo was being renovated - this was the area at which Roman influence over Pompeii increased and so Roman Jupiter superseded the Greek Apollo as the town's highest god. Jupiter was the ruler of the gods and the protector of Rome, where his temple was the center of Roman Religion and of the cult of state.

The earthquake led Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist Seneca the Younger to devote the sixth book of his Naturales quaestiones to the subject of earthquakes, describing the event of 5 February and giving the cause of earthquakes as the movement of air. [6]

Seneca the Younger Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist

Seneca the Younger(c. 4 BC – AD 65), fully Lucius Annaeus Seneca and also known simply as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and—in one work—satirist of the Silver Age of Latin literature.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 NGDC. "Comments for the Significant Earthquake" . Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  2. "Magnitude 6.3 – CENTRAL ITALY 2009 April 06 01:32:42 UTC". USGS. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  3. Marzocchi, W.; Scandone R. & Mulargia F. (1993). "The tectonic setting of Mount Vesuvius and the correlation between its eruptions and the earthquakes of the Southern Apennines". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 58 (1–4): 27–41. Bibcode:1993JVGR...58...27M. doi:10.1016/0377-0273(93)90100-6.
  4. Cubellis, E.; Marturano A. (2002). "Mt. Vesuvius: a macroseismic study of the earthquake of 9 October 1999". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 118 (3–4): 339–351. Bibcode:2002JVGR..118..339C. doi:10.1016/S0377-0273(02)00301-3.
  5. 1 2 3 Cubellis, E.; Luongo G. & Marturano A. (2007). "Seismic hazard assessment at Mt. Vesuvius: Maximum expected magnitude". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 162 (3–4): 139–148. Bibcode:2007JVGR..162..139C. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2007.03.003.
  6. 1 2 3 Seneca. Naturales quaestiones. VI De Terrae Motu. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  7. De Carolis, E.; Patricelli, G. (2003). Vesuvius, A.D. 79: The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. L'Erma di Bretschneider. pp. 71–76. ISBN   978-88-8265-199-2 . Retrieved 29 April 2011.
  8. Cooley, A.; Cooley, M.G.L. (2004). Pompeii: a sourcebook. Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World Series. Routledge. pp. 28–31. ISBN   978-0-415-26211-8 . Retrieved 29 April 2011.