Santorini volcano. The eruption, where it is located, photos, the death of the Minoan civilization, interesting facts. Santorini, the story of the eruption that changed our world Famous beaches of Santorini with colorful sand

On the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea there is the Santorini volcano of the same name. Now there is a small trace left of it, an ancient caldera, but previously there was a huge volcanic cone here:

Santorini is an active shield volcano on the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea, the eruption of which led to the destruction of Aegean cities and settlements on the islands of Crete, Thira and the Mediterranean coast. The eruption dates back to 1645-1600 BC. e. (according to different estimates).

The collapse of the caldera is associated with intense seismic activity, volumetric pyroclastic flows and a tsunami that washed away all coastal settlements. During the eruption, the Santorini volcano completely emptied its interior, after which its cone, unable to withstand its own weight, collapsed into an empty magma reservoir, where sea waters. The resulting giant wave, about 18 meters high (wikipedia says up to 100 m), swept across the Cyclades archipelago and reached north coast island of Crete The tsunami destroyed all the settlements on the islands Aegean Sea, and also affected the shores of Egypt and other countries of the Mediterranean Sea, stopping the development of mankind for a long thousand years.

After the eruption of Santorini, many other events took place in the center of the resulting caldera. Some of them affected the archipelago in the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, the last major eruption occurred in 1950. Today, Santorini exhibits constant seismic activity, and fumaroles and hydrothermal vents are still active on some of its islands.

Largest in ancient history The Minoan eruption on the island of Thira, or Thira, occurred in 1628 BC. e. (dendrochronological date). The next - the most powerful - happened in 1380 BC. e. (date approximate). The last one happened in 1950.

From what I've heard, dendrochronology can date events only a few hundred years ago. There are simply no thousand-year-old trees in the right quantity in the right place.

Geologists have discovered how the explosion of a supervolcano caused the “great flood” on Crete

Before the eruption of the supervolcano, the modern archipelago of Santorini was a single island. Scientists found that the eruption occurred almost instantly by geological standards - in just 100 years, the magma chamber under the island was filled with “fresh” molten rocks, which heated up local magma reserves, causing it to expand and literally tear the island apart.

An unusual “channel” in the northwestern part of the archipelago, which scientists discovered underwater, told them about what happened to the island and the surrounding ocean during the eruption and in the first days after the disaster.

For example, the unusually deep walls of this channel and its structure indicated that the walls of the supervolcano on the island of Santorini collapsed even before sea water rushed inside its exploding vent. This means that the tsunami, which was supposedly caused by the destruction of the island and the fall of its “debris” into the Aegean Sea, was generated in a completely different way.

Scientists have no doubt that this tsunami really existed - its occurrence is clearly evidenced by traces of sea water and sand in the Minoan palaces of Crete, where it could only reach if the height of the waves near the shore exceeded ten meters.

Scientists found traces of this event in the center of the former volcanic crater, and a few hundred meters from the shores of the archipelago.

As analysis of rocks in the central part of the former island showed, in the first stages of the eruption, part of Santorini exploded due to the fact that in the central part of the island there was a lagoon with sea water, which became the first “victim” of hot magma rising from the bowels of the Earth. This explosion led to the fact that the southern part of the former island was literally instantly flooded with powerful outpourings of magma, whose volume exceeded 16 cubic kilometers.

They eventually “slipped” into the Aegean Sea, covering the bottom of southern shores Santorini with a 60-meter layer of new rocks, and caused a powerful tsunami, the wave height of which at the former island exceeded 35 meters, decreasing to about ten meters when they reached the shores of Crete.

Almost immediately after this, the walls of the volcano collapsed, after which the sea broke through the “dam” of volcanic ash, which formed near the north-eastern channel at the bottom of the modern sea. Its waters began to fill the resulting basin, filling it completely with water in just 40 minutes if the depth of the channel was the same as it is today. Such a rapid course of such geological disasters, as scientists note, suggests that supervolcanoes, especially their island variety, should be given special attention.

As you can see, scientists and historians blamed the death of the Minoan civilization on this (in the past) volcano. They say that it was destroyed by a flood, a tsunami from the eruption.

Irregularly shaped failure of the volcano cone.

And it looks like a flooded quarry

Calcareous hills are adjacent to tuff hills

Central Island

Santorini is part of the Cyclades group of islands

List of minerals found on the islands:

But there are no samples analyzed for metals.

I propose to see the excavations and remains of the structure of the Kroto-Minoan culture, which was destroyed by this volcano:

According to the first signs, the territory is quite far from the sea, respectively, higher than 10m above it

The fact that it was destroyed by a flood or mudflow is beyond doubt among archaeologists. But could a wave 10m high reach these buildings? If the volume of water was large, then its inertia could drag the mudflow here too.

Excavations of this complex from above

During excavations

After. Already glued and restored jugs

It is possible that the entire Mediterranean coast suffered from this cataclysm. And traces of destruction and flood along its entire coast are the consequences of this event.

Sources:

Volcano Santorini is a legendary volcano on the island of Santorini (Thira) in the Aegean Sea. The eruption of the Santorini volcano that occurred three and a half thousand years ago is considered the largest volcanic event on Earth in history.

As a result of a monstrous eruption, the crater of the volcano collapsed, and a huge caldera was formed, which was instantly filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea. The explosion of the Santorini volcano led to the death of the Aegean civilization, settlements on the islands of Crete and the Mediterranean coast. According to some scientists, the state that died as a result of the explosion is the legendary Atlantis.

The island of Santorini is a group of several islands that are part of the Cyclades archipelago. These include the island of Thira, Palea Kameni, Thirasia, Nea Kameni and Aspro. They are built in the form of a ring, inside of which there is a deep (up to 400 meters) volcanic caldera. The inner coast of the largest island, Thira, consists of steep slopes, the height of which reaches three hundred meters. While the outer edge is sloping, comfortable beaches with black lava sand, washed by the waves of the Aegean Sea.

Tourists love Santorini for its interesting story And wonderful holiday, possible in a picturesque, romantic island town. Many hotels provide visitors with cozy rooms and houses for accommodation. Great service and the infrastructure of modern Thira present a stark contrast to its ancient predecessor. The archaeological reserve, where excavations are still ongoing, is one of the most popular places in Santorini.

In addition, everyone can take a yacht excursion to the islets of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, located in the center of the caldera. These islands are nothing more than the result of the activity of the legendary Santorini volcano. Before your eyes - alien landscapes, underfoot there is quite hot earth, and in places trickles of hydrogen sulfide break through its thickness. The volcano is sleeping, but not extinct. Its last activity was observed in 1950. And at any moment Santorini can wake up again.

Santorini Volcano - PHOTO

The name Santorini (also Thira, Fira and Santorini) refers to the island and volcano of the same name, the eruption of which occurred more than 3 thousand years ago and went down in history as the largest in the northern hemisphere.

An earthquake, explosion and subsequent tsunami led to the decline and subsequent death of the famous Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. According to some hypotheses, this event underlies the legend of the mysterious Atlantis.

The island of Thira is located in the Aegean Sea and is part of the Cyclades archipelago, which belongs to to the Greek state. The location coordinates are 36°25′ north latitude and 25°26′ east longitude. Its area is more than 76 sq. km, maximum height above sea level – 567 m.

Santorini, in fact, is a group of several islands (Thira, Palea Kameni, Nea Kameni and others), which are built in the form of a ring around a sea depression 400 m deep. The shores of the large island of Thira on the caldera side consist of steep slopes reaching a height of 300 m.

External - have a gentle relief and consist of comfortable beaches with exotic black sand and washed by the warm waters of the Aegean Sea.

There are several ways to get to the island:

Volcano data, topology and hydrology

The island of Thira is located 200 km in southeast direction from the capital of Greece Athens and 100 km north of the island of Crete. The name Santorini comes from the Italian word "Saint Irene", which in the Middle Ages meant the name of the patron saint of the island. It refers to a whole group of volcanoes in the middle of the Aegean Sea, which are located in an arc around the land mass.

Santorini is a relatively young volcano in geological terms. This conclusion was made by scientists after conducting studies of soil and bottom sediments in the caldera, which date back approximately 100-200 thousand years ago. Volcanic cones began to form after 100 thousand years, as a result of which the base sank into the sea.

The volcano has been active since the Pleistocene era. As a result of constant eruptions, its dome gradually grew to a height of 1615 m above the sea. Over many hundreds of years, the magma chamber beneath the island's base gradually filled with molten rock.

Studies of rocks in the central part of the island prove that the explosion occurred when hot magma rising from the depths came into contact with cold water in a reservoir in the center of the island. The volume of volcanic lava exceeded 16 cubic km, as a result of which the entire southern part of the island was destroyed.

The walls of the volcano cone collapsed and collapsed into the sea, and water quickly filled the resulting pit.

The explosion released volcanic ash into the atmosphere, which covered the surface of the earth over an area of 200 thousand sq. km. Due to the high concentration of gases, the air darkened, clouds of ash completely blocked the sunlight. Therefore, darkness fell over Egypt and the countries of the eastern Mediterranean, which lasted for several days until the ashes cleared.

After the explosion, a caldera formed on the site of the volcano’s crater - a deep depression into which sea waters poured in. Another consequence of his death was a gigantic tsunami more than 18 m high. The wave hit coastal cities and destroyed settlements on the Mediterranean islands of Crete and Thira.

Santorini is an active volcano, which experts classify as a shield volcano. The diameter of its crater is now 7.5-11 thousand m, height 365 m. The coordinates of the volcano are 36°24′16″ N. and 25°23′44 E. Last eruption happened in 1956

The reason for the strong volcanic activity is the fact that this place is located at the junction of the African and Eurasian plates, which contributes to the formation of volcanic relief in the area and is accompanied by a high risk of eruptions.

Facts from history

The famous volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini occurred around 1645-1600. BC. (some scholars put the figure at 1470 BC). In the metropolis of Tire, the capital and coastal settlements were located on the slopes of the mountains, and there was a convenient harbor below.

The first data from archaeologists about the existence of ancient settlements on Tire appeared in 1866, during the construction of the Suez Canal, for which land began to be actively removed from the island. Then signs of human buildings were discovered. The excavations were carried out by geologist and volcanologist from France F. Fouquet, who gave them the name Akrotiri (from the Greek word Ακρωτήρι - cape) after the name of the village nearby.

The houses were completely covered with volcanic ash, which contributed to their good preservation. No human remains were found, suggesting that local residents managed to swim away before the volcanic eruption began.

In 1967, excavations were continued by the Greek archaeologist S. Marinatos, resulting in the discovery of 3-story buildings and complex drainage and sewerage systems, as well as furniture, pottery and frescoes. All found artifacts were transferred to Museum Museum of Prehistoric Thera.

The disaster and explosion on Santorini, according to scientists, caused the main events of that time, which were described in the Bible and in the books of the philosopher-historian Plato.

For example:

disappearance of the state of Atlantis;
the death of the Minoan civilization;
the decline in water levels in the Red Sea, which served as the basis for the biblical legend of the “parting of the waters” into which the children of Israel entered, trying to escape from the pursuing troops Egyptian pharaoh;
the onset of darkness on the territory of the coastal states of the Mediterranean Sea - “darkness in Egypt” lasted about 3 days.

The famous Minoan civilization existed on the island of Crete in the 2nd millennium BC. The fertile soil and small harbors along the coast contributed to the prosperity of the human settlements that appeared here. Its inhabitants were seafarers and carried on trade. The Minoan fleet sailed between Sicily, Greece, Egypt, Phenicia and the states of Asia Minor.

Craftsmen in Crete produced beautiful ceramics and stone carving, builders and architects erected luxurious palaces, which artists painted with beautiful frescoes. The discovery of Minoan cities by archaeologists occurred only in 1900, but legends and myths about King Minos, about rich country and the Palace of Knossos are told in Homer's Iliad.

Search for remains ancient civilization began by the English journalist and amateur archaeologist Arthur Evans, who began excavations on the island in 1900. Their result was the discovery of a huge palace with beautiful paintings, ceramics, jewelry and ancient texts.

After the volcanic eruption, all highly developed cities in this region of the Mediterranean fell into decay, most of fertile land and buildings were covered with volcanic ash or went under water due to the tsunami.

However, this event left a large number of fragments of Minoan culture intact, which has allowed modern archaeologists to gain insight into the life, religion and activities of the people of that time.

Don't miss the most popular article in the section:

Climbing the volcanoes of Santorini

The archipelago of Santorini Islands is included in the UNESCO Heritage List. On its territory are the volcanoes Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, which appeared as a result of major eruptions in the period 1707-1712 and 1866-1870. They are full-fledged volcanic islands, and their peaks are popular among lovers of hiking.

Santorini Volcano - the path to it is not difficult, but not easy either.

The last eruption occurred in 1956, when the island of Nea Kameni appeared. The height of both volcanoes is only about 150 m, so even children can climb them. Santorini is a volcano that is characterized by increased seismic activity even now. This is expressed in the constant emissions of hot gases from cracks and craters (fumaroles) and the presence of active hydrothermal springs.

Climate and precipitation

The climate and weather in Santorini can be divided into 2 seasons:

very hot and dry in the summer months (April-November) and arid - within +20...+36°C;
cold and rainy from early November to late March - rain and clouds usually last for several days, and snow is very rare.

The optimal time for tourism is considered to be the second half of spring and the beginning of autumn, although most travelers come here in the summer.

Flora and fauna

Santorini is a volcano that erupts quite often. This was the reason for the low saturation of the flora - in the 21st century, only about 240 species were recorded on the island. The vegetation consists of shrubs, ferns and seed-bearing plant species.

Due to the fact that the soil is suitable for growing grapes, local residents have founded many vineyards, where they have been successfully harvesting a bountiful harvest for several centuries.

Most of the wildlife also died as a result of increased volcanic activity. That's why animal world The island is represented mainly by migratory birds. The symbol of Santorini is the domestic donkey, which for a long time served as the only way to move around the rocky terrain of the island.

Sights of Santorini

Now there are 13 settlements on the island, home to about 15 thousand people. During the summer months, the population increases sharply due to visiting tourists, and all the beaches are crowded with vacationers. They come here to admire the beautiful sunsets, lie on the black healing sand, explore the ancient ruins, visit local restaurants and taste some of the best Greek wines.

The capital of Santorini, the city of Fira (Thira), is located on the caldera side of the island on a cliff 260 m high above the sea, and is home to about 1.5 thousand inhabitants. There are many souvenir shops in the city, which also sell jewelry.

Other settlements on the island:

The island attracts tourists with its beautiful landscapes, romance and beaches. All settlements consist of snow-white houses with azure blue windows, which look very attractive and elegant.

Ancient buildings and excavations

For lovers of antiquity, there are several options for inspection:

Architectural buildings

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Cruises and boat trips

There are several options for tourists interesting tours:

cruise on a boat or yacht along the caldera - the price depends on the level of comfort and the availability of a buffet, duration and ranges from 50-200 €;
viewing colorful beaches from the sea - the boat runs along the eastern and southern coasts of Santorini;
excursion along the crater of an active volcano - carried out by boat, which moored at the old port of Fira, to then continue walking tour within 20-30 minutes to the top, where you can admire the desert landscape and bizarre rock formations.

Winery visits and tastings

Locals boast the oldest vineyards in the world. Some old vineyards, whose vines were planted in 1200 BC, continue to produce crops using the ancient method. There are 10 wineries on the island, any of which you can visit and try local drinks.

The most interesting of them:

Taste of Santorini

Try the dishes local cuisine and delicacies can be found in a local tavern or restaurant:

pickled capers collected from the steep peaks of the caldera, which are used to prepare the famous Greek salad with the addition of tomatoes; when dried, they are used to prepare soups, sauces and vegetable stews;
yellow dried Fava peas - grown here and used for making puree, served with lemon sauce with olive oil and chopped onion;
Tomatokeftedes - meatballs or "poor man's food" - are made from large, meaty tomatoes, which are crushed with the skin, mixed with spices, rolled into balls, rolled in flour and deep-fried.

Sunsets in Santorini

One of the famous and practically free attractions of the island is the wonderful bright sunsets, which all tourists and visitors gather on the embankment to watch. If you want to admire this performance and at the same time have a snack at a local cafe, then you need to make a reservation, because... limited number of seats.

The best place The best place to watch the sunset is the town of Oia, located on the northern side of the island. You can get the most impressions by standing near the lighthouse in the southwest of the island.

Art galleries

Mnemossyne Gallery – located in Oia and is one of the favorite places for visitors. It is located in a cave house next to the lighthouse. Photographs of local landscapes and handicrafts (pottery and sculptures) are exhibited here.

The Art of the Loom Gallery in Caldera is housed in a Cycladic-style building dating from 1866 that was originally used as a winery. It displays works by local artists, jewelry, ceramics and glass.

Hotels and beaches in Santorini

Famous beaches Santorini with colorful sand:

There are about 500 hotels of different levels on the island. Accommodation provided for visitors in Santorini is quite expensive, especially hotels overlooking the caldera. More budget establishments are located on the western side of the island (Perivolos, Perissa, Kamari) - they do not have pools, but there are many beaches nearby.

Top hotels on the island of Santorini are given below:

Name, location	Characteristic	Address and telephone
Smaragdi	Family hotel, consisting of small patios surrounding a swimming pool, is located near Perivalos beach, with bars, taverns and restaurants nearby. The rooms are presented in 8 categories (from luxury to economy).	Perivolos, Perissa 847 03, Greece, tel. +30 2286 082701
Finikia Memories, near the village of Finikia (outskirts of Oia)	The family hotel is located on a mountain overlooking the caldera, all rooms have balconies, some have terraces overlooking the sea or pools; The rooms have air conditioning, mini-refrigerators, and showers.	Finikia 847 02, tel. +30 2286 071373
Akrotiri in the village of the same name	The hotel's interior is decorated in a traditional style; prices are lower compared to other hotels (about 50 €) due to the lack of a pool and beach; however, there is a bus ride to the popular black sand beaches; The rooms have air conditioning, a balcony overlooking the sea, a refrigerator and a stove for cooking - ideal for older tourists who want to relax in silence.	Akrotiri, Thira 847 00, Greece, tel. +30 2286 081375
Hotel Maria Preka, near Kamari beach	The hotel is cozy and consists of classic whitewashed buildings with blue trim surrounding a swimming pool; on the opposite side of the road there is a more expensive hotel Anassa, where you can use the pool and gym; the hotel has 23 rooms, each with air conditioning, TV, safe, refrigerator and bathroom, furnished balcony, kitchenette; Breakfast is provided for 6€.	Kamari 847 00, Greece, tel. +30 2286 031266
Seaside Beach Hotel, located almost on Kamari beach	The hotel-restaurant consists of 27 rooms (budget double and sea view rooms, small apartments), each with a kitchenette, refrigerator, bathroom with shower, air conditioning, TV, safe, the hotel has a swimming pool, jacuzzi, buffet breakfast, beach equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas with a thatched roof.	Kamari 847 00, Greece, tel. +30 2286 033403

It is no coincidence that the island is called the most colorful and romantic place on the planet:

A popular saying among locals and tourists about the island ( former volcano) Santorini says: “Here there are more donkeys than people, and there are more cathedrals than residential buildings, and there is much more wine than water.”

Article format: Lozinsky Oleg

Video about Santorini volcano

Dormant volcano in Greece Santorini:

The study of deep-sea sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea has made it possible to reconstruct the conditions of a grandiose volcanic catastrophe.
In cores taken from the bottom of the Aegean Sea, two layers of volcanic sediments were found, located at levels from 80 to 170 centimeters below the upper limit of bottom sediments. Together with small particles to a height of up to 50 km. Volcanic bombs and pumice of various sizes are flying. This type of volcanic ejecta material is called tephra.
The study of the extracted soil cores made it possible to reliably distinguish the upper and lower tephra, construct maps of the areal distribution of these two volcanic layers and determine their thickness. The configuration of the area where volcanic sediments were found and the nature of the thickness distribution of the two ash layers leave no doubt that this ash was formed as a result of eruptions of the Santorini volcano.
The greatest thickness of the lower ash layer, reaching 22 cm, was found southeast of Santorini. The ash spread up to 400 kilometers north of Santorini and up to 1,000 kilometers west, almost to Sicily. All islands in the Aegean Sea, including Crete, located within a radius of 200 km from Santorini, were covered with a layer of aeolian ash several centimeters thick.

The upper horizon of volcanic sediments (upper tephra) also reaches its greatest thickness near Santorini. 130 km southeast of the volcano, its thickness exceeds two or more meters. The ash that makes up this horizon reached the coasts of Africa, Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula to be deposited there in a layer exceeding 1 mm. The maximum distance over which the ash of the upper tephra was transported was no more than 700 km. In the places of its greatest accumulation, it was discovered that the ash layer of the upper tephra consists of three coarse-grained horizons and three fine-grained ones with sharp contacts between them. This indicates that the upper ash layer was formed as a result of three successive eruptions of Santorini, of which the first was the most powerful and ash-rich.

Based on this, it was concluded that Santorini twice took the form of the round island of Strongyli and twice disintegrated. The first time this happened in the late Pleistocene, 25 thousand years ago, when the lower layer of tephra was deposited on the seabed, and the second time, in the Minoan era, approx. 3400 years ago, when the top layer of tephra was deposited.

The further spread of volcanic sediments depends primarily on the direction and speed of high-altitude winds. After analyzing air currents in the eastern Mediterranean, scientists came to the conclusion that the distribution of lower tephra material indicates its transport by high-speed winds, which indicates a volcanic eruption in winter.
The upper tephra was deposited under conditions of lower wind speeds. This is consistent with the meteorological pattern of summer northwestern trade winds with relatively low speeds. The fact that the eruption occurred in the summer, before the harvest, is confirmed by the fact that there were almost no food reserves left in the jars found during archaeological excavations on Santorini.
The shape of the tephra fallout area allows us to conclude that the cloud, which covered the whole of Crete, some areas of the Peloponnese and Asia Minor, was transported in the southwestern direction. A meter-thick layer of tephra from that time was discovered on the island of Rhodes. A cloud of volcanic gases, vapors and dust should have covered an area much larger than the one where the tephra fell.

The lower layer of tephra dates back to approximately 25 thousand years ago. The date was determined based on the age of microorganism shells found in the soil cores.
The upper ash horizon turned out to be much younger. Although there is a fairly large scatter of figures, it is still certain that the upper tephra was formed less than 5 thousand years ago. The formation of the upper ash horizon was caused by the eruption of Santorini and is dated, quite reliably, by determining the absolute age of a carbon isotope in a piece of wood found under 30 meters of ash. Radiocarbon dating showed that this piece was separated from the tree between 1510 and 1310 BC. e. Around this period of time, a catastrophic volcanic eruption occurred. And then the central part of Strongile again sank into the depths of the sea, forming a lagoon-caldera.

The ash from the Santorini caldera and from the upper layer of bottom sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean are completely identical.

The catastrophic volcanic eruptions that took place on the islands of Indonesia can give an idea of the events that took place 35 centuries ago in the Aegean Sea. In 1812, a new volcano was born on the island of Sumbawa, named Tambora. Over the three years of its activity, it grew to a height of four kilometers, and on April 15, 1815, a terrible explosion occurred, shortening the volcano from 4000 to 2851 meters. Clouds of ash covered the sky over an area with a radius of up to 500 kilometers: there was complete darkness here for three days. At the site of the explosion, a caldera 700 meters deep and six and a half kilometers in diameter was formed.
The eruption of Krakatoa occurred in August 1883 in the Sunda Strait. On August 26, residents of the island of Java, located 160 km from Krakatoa, heard a noise similar to thunder. At 2 p.m. A black cloud about 27 km high rose above Krakatoa. At 5 p.m. The first tsunami occurred. Before noon on August 27, several more tsunamis occurred. The explosions continued throughout the night, but the most powerful of them occurred on August 27. Gases, vapors, debris, sand and dust rose to a height of 80 km and dispersed over an area of over 827,000 km, and the sound of explosions was heard in Australia and off the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa.
Hot ash and debris covered many hundreds of square kilometers. The wave caused by the explosion traveled around the entire globe. Its speed reached 566 kilometers per hour, and its height was 35 meters.
Explosions occurred throughout the autumn of 1883, and only on February 20 of the following year the last eruption occurred. During the eruptions, at least 18 km of rocks were thrown out, two-thirds of which fell in an area with a radius of 15 km from the explosion site. The sea north of Krakatoa became shallow and unnavigable for large ships. As a result of these explosions, only the southern half of the cone was preserved, and in place of the rest of the island, a depression with a diameter of about 7 km was formed in the ocean.
The crater created by the Santorini explosion is much larger and deeper than the crater created by the Krakatoa explosion. This means that the eruption of Santorini-Strongyle was even more powerful. During it, 70 cubic kilometers of rock were thrown out, that is, three to four times more than during the Krakatoa explosion.

Before the catastrophe that formed the upper tephra, Santorini represented a complex group of volcanic cones fused with each other, located mainly along its periphery. First arose large island Thira with a volcanic cone height of about 1600m. Gradually, the large island merged with small islands located to the south.
After the disaster, a collapse caldera appeared and most of the island collapsed into the water. It is possible that the interior of the Santorini archipelago, even before the disaster, was partly a lagoon or a flat area formed due to the removal of volcanic products from the volcanic mountain range that framed the island. This point of view is supported by an analysis of volcanic emissions that immediately preceded the disaster. Geological observations indicate that the first manifestations of volcanism did not foreshadow disasters. Geologists divide the pumice emissions accumulated during the eruption into three layers. The lower, “pink” pumice erupted at a lower temperature. During the period of its formation, one or several vents were active in the northern part of the island. The middle group of pumice layers, found in the south and east of Thira, is distinguished by pronounced irregular bedding. This indicates a series of weak to moderate explosive eruptions separated by quiet intervals. The absence of fragments of ancient lavas indicates the activity of former vents. The release of huge masses of gas-rich magma inevitably caused the collapse of the roof of the underground reservoir. This process could have begun during the eruptions, but was most pronounced shortly after their end.

The oldest population of Santorini, which appeared here ca. 3000g. BC e., was pre-Greek. The presence of the influence of Minoan Crete was established during excavations on Akrotiri, when from under a 40-meter layer of volcanic ash an entire village of two or three storey houses, decorated with frescoes that resemble the wall paintings of Minoan palaces, was dug up.
During excavations in the harbor of Akrotiri, a city destroyed by an earthquake was discovered. According to scientists, its area was one and a half square kilometers. Nearby, a residential structure, vessels from the Minoan period, fragments of a loom and large cinder blocks were discovered under a layer of ash. The frescoes were discovered under a multi-meter layer of ash. They depicted plants, birds, the landscape of the island before the eruption, gracefully walking antelopes, a bowed palm tree, boys boxing in special gloves, a procession of women with sacred gifts and an ape-like creature painted blue. The city found on Tire is not inferior in size and splendor to Knossos, the center of the island of Crete. The Santorini volcanic massif was surprisingly well adapted for creating an impregnable military fortress there, so it was on Tire that it was most advisable to keep a navy in case of attack by enemies and in order to extend its power to remote territories of the Mediterranean.
Akrotiri turned out to be empty, it was possible to find out that the evacuation of people took place long before the eruption - grass had time to grow on the walls of abandoned houses before they were covered with ash. The explosion of the volcano destroyed the northern part of the city, covered the southern part with a multi-meter layer of ash, and some blocks went under water, to the bottom of the lagoon. Their remains were found at a depth of 20 meters.

F. Fouquet at one time discovered that despite the enormous force of the eruption and the proximity of the caldera, Minoan buildings on the island of Thira were preserved under a layer of tephra in relatively good condition. On this basis, he concluded that the eruption was not preceded by any strong earthquakes, and that it began with a sudden powerful release of ash and pumice that covered the Minoan settlements. Therefore, by the time the island collapsed, part of the settlements around the future caldera had already been buried by a thick layer of tephra.

In 1939, archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos, based on excavations of a Minoan villa at Amnisos on the northern coast of Crete, concluded that the Minoan civilization was destroyed by an eruption on the nearby volcanic island of Santorini. Layers of ash and volcanic pumice were discovered in Amnisos, Marinatos suggested that the walls of the villa collapsed from the impact of a huge tidal wave caused by a volcanic eruption. The fact that Thera erupted during the Bronze Age was beyond doubt: ceramics from the Minoan period had already been discovered in the debris of volcanic origin. In 1967, streets lined with Minoan-era houses were revealed under a thick layer of volcanic ash and tephra. In some houses, beautiful colored frescoes and intact ceramics were discovered. In the late 1980s, it became apparent that the eruption occurred approximately 150 years before the destruction of Knossos and the great Minoan palaces.

According to archaeological data, all the Cretan palaces of the Minoan era on the northern and eastern shores of the island were destroyed simultaneously at the end of the 15th century. BC. The coastal settlements of Crete were abandoned suddenly, the population took refuge in impregnable mountain shelters in the center of the island. After this event, some palaces were subsequently reoccupied, but only partially; others were abandoned forever. During excavations of the palaces of Crete, archaeologists discovered pieces of pumice, as well as sintered pieces of other volcanic rocks mixed with sulfur.
Until recently, there was fairly widespread support for the hypothesis that the destruction of all cities and large settlements on Crete was caused by tsunamis, earthquakes and air shock waves generated by the explosion of Santorini. This was one of the main reasons that undermined the power of the state to such an extent that it became an easy prey for its neighbors.
The hypothesis is now being refuted with the same enthusiasm with which it was previously supported. Opponents argue that a single natural disaster could not lead to the disappearance of an entire civilization.

Volcanic emissions cover the island to a height of 30-35 meters. And in some places they reach hundreds of meters. The wind scattered tens of millions of tons of ash and pumice throughout the Aegean Sea and even carried it into North Africa, Asia Minor and Macedonia. Anafi Psara, Kos, Milos, Naxos and other Cyclades islands were covered with a layer of ash more than ten centimeters thick. The same layer of ash fell on Crete, in its central and eastern parts, the most densely populated areas of the island. This is quite enough to seriously damage fruit trees, destroy crops and grass in pastures and, thereby, cause mass deaths of livestock. Under the threat of famine, the surviving population of Crete was forced to leave the fertile valleys of the central and eastern parts of the island and go to the regions of western Crete.
During the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783. volcanic ash that covered the entire country caused mass deaths of herbivores from starvation. A mixture of volcanic gases and ash formed a bluish smog that enveloped Iceland, causing great damage to grain and feed crops and leading to hunger and lack of food. The consequence of all this was the death of half the cows, three quarters of the sheep and horses, and the population of Iceland decreased by a fifth.
During the eruption of Mount Katmai in Alaska in June 1912. pyroclasts that fell in the vicinity of the city of Kodiak, 160 km southeast of the eruption, formed a layer 25 cm thick and completely drowned out small vegetation. All streams and wells here were filled with ash. The livestock had to be taken out, and it was possible to return it only after 2 years, when the pastures were revived.

The explosion on Santorini caused a powerful earthquake. But if at the epicenter the strength of the earthquake exceeded 10 points, in Crete it decreased to 8 points. However, great damage to Crete was caused not only by the tsunami and volcanic ash, but also by the blast wave that came to the island after the earthquake that followed the Strongyle explosion.
During the eruption of Krakatoa, the roar of the explosion was heard over an area equal to 1/13 globe. The air shock waves broke glass in houses 150 km away, and in some cases damaged houses as far as 800 km from Krakatoa. So, on Cyclades Islands and on Crete, located 100-150 km from Santorini, the blast wave should have caused significant destruction. It is possible that the destructive effect of the air wave was even greater than the earthquake. Disasters also struck neighboring lands. This primarily applies to Egypt.

The Minoan eruption was not the last page in the history of Santorini. Vulcan was silent for 1200 years.
In 197 BC. e. appeared in the Santorini lagoon small island formed by lava. The Roman philosopher and naturalist Seneca, in his work “Questions of Natural Science,” speaking about the forces shaping the face of the planet, included among them “air pressure,” which “can scatter the earth over a large area, erect new mountains, create in the middle of the sea never before seen islands." And Santorin was cited as an example: “Who can doubt that Thera, Therasia and this new island that appeared in the Aegean Sea before our eyes were produced by air?”
In 46 AD e. Another volcanic island was born. In 60 a new eruption merged the islands together. Palia Kameni was the first island to form after the Minoan eruption.
Masudi reported that in 535. A strong earthquake occurred in the Nile Delta, the earth sank, and the sea poured onto the land. At the same time, there was a significant change in the coast of Crete, the surrounding islands and the underwater relief of the Aegean Sea.
In 726, another eruption at the bottom of the lagoon increased the area, and then the volcano subsided. Several explosions scattered volcanic material several kilometers around. The viscous magma that later filled the crater appeared as a black tongue of lava on the northeastern coast of Palea Cameri. The chronicler Theophanes recorded the eruption of 726: “In the summer of this very year, from the depths of the sea between the islands of Thira and Tirassia, heat began to bubble from a fiery furnace. It bubbled for several days, and increased all the time, and soon became a pillar of fire and smoke "became like fire, and from the thickness of this continuous fiery curtain huge pumice stones flew throughout Asia and the island of Lesbos and Abydos and to all parts of Macedonia, which was located beyond the sea."
In 1452 he woke up again, increasing the area. The destruction of Palia Kameni probably happened between 1457 and 1458. The last time this volcano showed its activity was in 1508, completing the formation of the island of Palea Kameni.
Underwater eruptions that lasted three years, from 1570 to 1573, about two and a half kilometers northeast of Palea Kameni gave birth to the island of Mikra Kameni.

On September 14, 1650, a powerful eruption of an underwater volcano began on the northeastern side of the island of Thira. It was accompanied by earthquakes that did not stop day or night.
An unusually strong volcanic process occurred in the center of the ring in 1707, it was not interrupted for five years. In 1707, two volcanic cones appeared, called Aspronisi and Makronesi. Then, within five years, they united and Nea Kameni arose. The eruptions from 1701 to 1711 were very interesting from a geological point of view, because it was one of those rare cases when it was possible to observe a volcano appearing in the sea. On May 21, 1711, three days after the violent eruption, a white island could be seen appearing. It continued to grow, and after a few days, the people of Santorini discovered black lava, pumice, and marine life still living on it. The island grew slowly, reaching a width of 600 meters and a height of 80 meters. On June 5th a fire was seen, after which a new black island appeared in the north. On September 12th, the black island became so large that it merged with the white one. Nea Kameni was 910 meters long in the south, 1650 in the west and 1440 in the east. The height of the island reached 106 meters.
Jesuit Gori observed the eruptions of 1707-1711 from Skaros Castle. "And between this small island and the Great Kammeni, on the 23rd of May 1707, in the middle of the day, the New Island, of which I will now speak, first appeared on the surface of the earth. Be that as it may, the fishermen discovered the island early in the morning, but unable to understand what it was, some mistook it for a sunken ship, shipwrecked and drifting on the sea. As soon as the fishermen realized that it was a new island, they became frightened and quickly rushed to the shore, spreading rumors throughout the island. they readily believed, since all the residents knew, and some even saw, what happened in 1650."
1712 "At that time White Island, which seemed higher than Lesser Kameneni, and could be seen from the first floor of Skaros Castle, now began to sink and sink so that it was already difficult to see from the second floor."

Volcanic activity in the lagoon resumed in 1866, when eruptions began in Vulcan Bay on the shores of Nea Kameni. As a result of the eruption of 1866-1870, the area of Nea Kameni almost quadrupled. In 1925-1926 and 1928, a new underwater eruption further increased the area of Nea Kameni; The eruption of 1939-1941 contributed to the growth of the island. In 1945, a volcano created the new island of Daphne. This island grew rapidly and connected Mikra-Kameni and Nea-Kameni. The last eruption on Santorini, which occurred in 1950-1956, once again increased the size of Nea Kameni.
The most powerful (Minoan) eruption of Santorini was not known either in the classical era or in the Middle Ages. Only the study of the geological structure of the island of Thira, begun at the end of the 19th century, and oceanological research in the Eastern Mediterranean made it possible to establish this grandiose geological phenomenon.

The eruptions of Santorini, which occurred in the Middle Ages, were described in detail by the Abbot of Pegu in 1842. He was the first researcher to understand that the space between the islands of Thira, Thirasia and Aspronisi from the Santorini group is a giant caldera submerged by the sea, formed as a result of the collapse of a once-existing single volcanic island.

According to the Greek philosopher Plato, there once existed on our planet beautiful island Atlantis, inhabited by talented people of high culture. Many scientists still consider Plato's stories to be just a beautiful myth, but some geological and archaeological studies indicate that the island really existed, and the cause of its destruction was the eruption of the Santorini volcano, located on the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea.

Before the eruption of Santorini

Together with several small islands, Thira is part of the Santorini group of islands belonging to the Cyclades archipelago in the southern Aegean Sea. The island group in the form of a ring is located at the junction of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, due to which it is characterized by increased volcanic activity. According to archaeological data, already in the 13th century BC Santorini was inhabited by numerous civilizations, including the famous Minoan, famous for its architecture, painting and high economic development.

Archaeological excavations near the city of Akrotiri in the south of the island of Thira show that there was once a large and dynamic settlement on this site, engaged in trade with the countries of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, the remains of this once thriving community are buried under a thick blanket of pumice caused by a massive eruption during the Late Bronze Age. The exact date of the volcanic event remains controversial, although most radiometric studies indicate that the volcano erupted between 1615 and 1645 BC.

Plinian eruption of Santorini volcano

Over the past million years, the Santorini islands have experienced at least 12 major eruptions. The last of them, which destroyed the Minoan civilization and, possibly, Atlantis, occurred according to the Plinian type and received an index of VEI-7 on an 8-point explosiveness scale. The enormity of this explosion was surpassed only by seven terrestrial eruptions that have occurred over the past four millennia, including.

Before the disaster, Santorini was a large round island with an estuary filled with sea water. At the end of the Bronze Age, as a result of an eruption, its central highlands collapsed, and in their place a large caldera formed. The island was divided into three parts, which today represent the islets of Thira, Thirasia and Aspronisi.

The collapse of the caldera is associated with intense seismic activity, volumetric pyroclastic flows and a tsunami that washed away all coastal settlements. During the eruption, the Santorini volcano completely emptied its interior, after which its cone, unable to withstand its own weight, collapsed into an empty magma reservoir, into which sea waters poured in after it. The resulting giant wave, about 18 meters high, swept across the Cyclades archipelago and reached the northern coast of the island of Crete. The tsunami destroyed all settlements on the islands of the Aegean Sea, and also affected the shores of Egypt and other countries of the Mediterranean Sea, stopping the development of mankind for a long thousand years.

Modern history of Santorini

After the eruption of Santorini, many other eruptive events occurred in the center of the resulting caldera. Some of them affected the archipelago in the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, the last major eruption occurred in 1950. Today, Santorini exhibits constant seismic activity, and fumaroles and hydrothermal vents are still active on some of its islands. Scientists are confident that sooner or later a new eruption will occur here. Most likely, its strength will be small to moderate. However, volcanoes such as Santorini are unpredictable, so the likelihood of a powerful eruption similar to the one that destroyed the Minoan civilization still remains very high.