One more way to die: Tremors when Vesuvius erupted collapsed shelter walls

Enlarge / Two skeletons found in the ruins of a Pompeii building may have been crushed by wall collapses triggered by earthquakes. (credit: Pompeii Archaeological Park)

Archaeologists have hotly debated the precise cause of death of those who perished in Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. Did they die of asphyxiation, from the extreme heat, or from a combination of factors? A new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science examines the complicating effects...