Santorini volcano hazard bigger than thought, study finds
An international team of scientists has discovered that a 726 AD eruption of the Santorini volcano was a lot bigger than initially estimated, pointing to an “elevated hazard potential.”
Published in the Nature Geoscience journal on Monday, the study’s findings change “the prevailing view that Kameni Volcano has been in a predominately effusive state since the Minoan eruption and implies that the Santorini volcanic system has been capable of producing highly explosive eruptions in its current early stage in the caldera cycle,” the paper says.
The team’s analysis, based on drilling carried out as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 398, found that the magnitude of the 726 AD eruption was greater than assumed and that pumice from the blast may have traveled all the way to the coast of Asia Minor.
“Our results demonstrate that Kameni Volcano has been capable of producing a major VEI 5 explosive eruption in the recent past. This changes the prevailing view that Kameni Volcano has been in a predominately effusive state since the Minoan eruption and implies that the Santorini volcanic system has been capable of producing highly explosive eruptions in its current early stage in the caldera cycle,” the paper argues.
“A similar eruptive event today would have severe consequences not only for the inhabitants of Santorini and its neighboring islands but also for the broader eastern Mediterranean,” it says.
“Eruption phenomena may include tsunamis generated by submarine explosions, extensive pumice rafts and large airborne ash plumes with significant impacts on coastal communities, aviation, maritime transportation and submarine cables,” it adds.
