Pompeii's destruction helps calibrate volcanic dating to within decades
Scientists have used the historical date of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 C.E. to recalibrate argon-argon dating methods. This improvement allows for significantly more precise dating of geological events and volcanic activity.
Why it matters
Enhanced dating precision helps geologists better understand the history of volcanoes that pose risks to modern, densely populated urban areas.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Mt. Vesuvius towering above the ruins of Pompeii. The volcano's eruption in 79 C.E. inundated the town. Historical accounts of the disaster have now allowed scientists to recalibrate one of the most versatile dating methods, argon-argon dating. Credit: By Qfl247, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14711995 When Pliny the Younger recorded his firsthand experience of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago—a cataclysm that buried Pompeii and killed his uncle, Pliny the Elder—he provided enough detail about the date to allow scientists to benchmark methods for dating volcanic eruptions.
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