Real Pyroclastic Surges

At the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, I gave a presentation with fellow historical fiction author (and new friend!) Kim Teter. During my talk, a video of a real pyroclastic surge I wanted to play for the audience wouldn’t cooperate, so I told everyone that I would put it on my blog. So here it is!

This, my friends, is what killed everyone in Pompeii. However, our Pompeii pyroclastic party wasn’t just a dome collapse–it was also the collapse of part of the ash column that had climbed nearly twenty miles into the sky!

Here’s another one (warning: a glimpse of modern victims):