Greek, UK and American scientists tap Santorini volcano secrets

SANTORINI – Some 3,500 years after it happened, perhaps wiping out a Minoan civilization, the explosion of a volcano on the island of Santorini is being probed for its causes by a team of Greek, American and British scientists while tourists on one of the world’s most popular destinations enjoy the view of the ancient Caldera.

Analyzing the data obtained two years ago during a marine research expedition, the scientists said they’ve found a treasure trove of information about the underwater area around the small islet off the coast of the island.

The findings were reported in the science magazine Tectonophysics and were based on research conducted aboard the Marcus Langseth, the most sophisticated seismic vessel in the world’s academic fleet, which traveled to Greece from the US for this project in 2015, said the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

The lead scientists of the Proteus project are professors Emilie Hooft and Doug Toomey of the University of Oregon, and Evi Nomikou, from the Geology Department at Athens University.

The report said the scientists were able to produce new high-quality maps of the seabed all the way from Akrotiri, where the Minoans lived on Santorini and where it’s believed they fled before the explosion – perhaps not to survive a tsunami that went all the way to Crete – and extends all the way up to the basin of the island of Amorgos.

“For the first time, we’ve mapped active fault lines in the area between Santorini and Amorgos,” Nomikou said. “This is valuable information. Look at the recent earthquake on Lesbos. One of the problems there was that the fault which produced it wasn’t mapped. That’s how we know that the area east of Santorini is more active than that to its west.”

Deep analysis through the mapping of the seabed has produced lots of information. “In the area between Santorini and Amorgos, we found two underwater landslides, which may be related to the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the region in 1956 and produced a tsunami. Knowing this is vital for those who specialize in studying tsunamis because they can use this information for simulation models,” she said.

The volcanic activity is actually stronger around Kolumbo, an active undersea volcano about 8 km northeast of Cape Kolumbo on Santorini. “We mapped a total of 26 volcanic cones and even found an old one between Milos and Santorini, which is an area we have yet to study in more detail,” she said.

Mapping the depths around Santorini has revealed “underwater terraces” resembling those found above the sea surface on many Cycladic islands, used for cultivation.

Systematic research will reveal whether these terraces formed out of a gradual deposition of materials by the volcano or if they’re deformities of the depths formed by the Minoan era eruption,” she added.

It’s been costly as well as time consuming. “You need an oceanographic vessel with state-of-the-art equipment,” the Greek academic explains. “Most of Greece’s active fault lines are under the sea, so mapping the seabed is imperative if we want to have a better understanding of them.”