The Aegean Sea is a popular destination for tourists and travelers who want to enjoy the beauty and culture of Greece. But beneath the serene surface of the water lies a turbulent past that has shaped the history of the region and the world.
A recent discovery by an international team of scientists has revealed evidence of one of the largest explosive eruptions ever recorded in the southern Aegean Arc, a volcanic chain that includes the famous island of Santorini.
A New Discovery of an Ancient Catastrophe
OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
The scientists, who were part of the IODP expedition "Hellenic Arc Volcanic Field", drilled into the seafloor at seven sites around Santorini and found giant pumice deposits that indicate a massive submarine eruption that occurred around 520,000 years ago.
This eruption, named the Archaeos Tuff, was six times larger than the Late Bronze Age eruption of Santorini that happened around 3,600 years ago and is believed to have triggered the collapse of the Minoan civilization on Crete.
The Archaeos Tuff is the largest known eruption in the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field, which consists of more than 20 volcanoes along a 60-kilometer rift zone that cuts across the island arc.
The eruption produced a huge volume of magma and ash that covered an area of about 20,000 square kilometers and created a caldera that is now filled by the sea.
The eruption also had a global impact, as the ash plume reached heights of up to 40 kilometers and spread over Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The discovery of the Archaeos Tuff challenges the previous assumptions about the explosiveness and frequency of eruptions in the Hellenic Arc, which is considered one of the most active and hazardous volcanic regions in the world.
The scientists estimate that the recurrence interval of such large eruptions is about 100,000 years, which means that another one could happen in the near future
The findings of the IODP expedition have important implications for volcanology and society, as they provide new insights into the mechanisms and triggers of explosive volcanism in island arcs.
The scientists suggest that the Archaeos Tuff eruption was caused by the interaction of two different types of magma: a basaltic magma that originated from the mantle and a rhyolitic magma that was stored in the crust.
The mixing of these magmas created a highly explosive and voluminous eruption that was enhanced by the presence of seawater
The scientists also propose that the eruption was influenced by the tectonic setting of the Hellenic Arc, which is located at the convergent boundary of the African and Eurasian plates.
The subduction of the African plate under the Eurasian plate creates extensional stresses that thin the crust and facilitate the ascent of magma.
The scientists hypothesize that the Archaeos Tuff eruption was triggered by a major earthquake that occurred along the Hellenic trench, a deep-sea trench that marks the subduction zone.
The discovery of the Archaeos Tuff also has implications for the assessment of volcanic hazards and risks in the Aegean Sea and beyond.
The eruption shows that the Hellenic Arc is capable of producing much larger and more devastating eruptions than previously thought, which poses a serious threat to the millions of people who live in the vicinity or visit the area.
The eruption could also have significant environmental and climatic effects, as the ash and gases could alter the atmospheric composition and temperature.
The scientists hope that their research will contribute to a better understanding and monitoring of the volcanic activity in the Hellenic Arc and other similar regions around the world.
They also hope that their research will raise awareness and preparedness among the public and the authorities for the potential consequences of a future eruption.
As Dr. Steffen Kutterolf, one of the co-chief scientists of the expedition, said: "We need to be aware that nature can be much more powerful than we are used to. We should not underestimate the forces that lie beneath our feet."
