WEB-BASED VIRTUAL EXPLORATION OF VESUVIUS VOLCANO AS AN EXERCISE IN VOLCANIC HAZARD EDUCATION FOR UNDERGRADUATES

A web-based interactive virtual exploration of Vesuvius volcano and the ancient cites of Pompeii and Herculaneum has been developed as an exercise to enhance undergraduate student understanding of explosive volcanism and its associated hazards to human populations and the environment. The exercise is built upon previous research by the authors dealing with the 79 AD eruption of the volcano and its impact on the surrounding countryside. Quicktime virtual reality images (QTVR), video clips, user-controlled animations and interactive measurement tools are used to allow students to explore archeological and geological sites, collect field data in an electronic field notebook, and construct hypotheses about the burial of Pompeii and Herculaneum during the 79 AD eruption. The QTVR images provide 360o views of key sites where students can observe volcanic deposits in the context of archeological excavations. Video sequences from recent eruptions of Montserrat volcano are used to make links between specific styles of explosive eruptions, such as ash fallout, pyroclastic flows and surges, and their effects on the surrounding environment. A primary objective of the exercise is to simulate the role of a field volcanologist who collects information from the geologic record and reconstructs the sequence of eruptive processes based on specific features of the deposits. The exercise is designed to be used as a freely accessible laboratory exercise for undergraduate classes such as introductory geology, geologic hazards or volcanology. Preliminary testing of the exercise in several classes has resulted in positive feedback for the form, nature and delivery of the material.