Santorini volcano eruption and flood. Santorini eruption: new theory reveals the secrets of the cataclysm at the end of the Bronze Age (7 photos)

The sunken Atlantis is known to everyone, but few know that it may have already been found: a number of scientists seriously believe that the story of the origin of the Greek island of Santorini is hidden under the legend of Atlantis. This mysterious place different from the islands of the Mediterranean, and indeed from all the islands in the world. The firmament of Santorini is not rocks made of granite and basalt, but solidified lava and the ashes of a volcano that rose from under the water millions of years ago. When the volcano exploded and its cone collapsed into the crater, a huge caldera was formed, which is surrounded by broken fragments of a mountain that has flown into the air. This is the current Santorini - in fact, the largest of the underwater volcanoes active on the planet.

The history of the settlement of the island dates back to the 16th century. BC, when they arrived here Phoenician sailors. They named the island after the beautiful nymph Callisto, who enchanted Odysseus. The ancient Hellenes called this area Strongila.

The island got its current name in the Middle Ages, when Europeans got here. They dedicated the "new" land to Saint Irene. Later, the Turks came here, calling the island Deimercik, in honor of the small mills that have become a local symbol.

With independence, the island of Santorini returns European name, by which he is now known as tourist gem Greece. Although the Greeks themselves prefer to call it Tyra or Thera (after the legendary king of the Dorians).

Districts and cities of the island

With the development of tourism in the country, local villages and towns have turned into attractive resorts. And instead of fishing houses on the shore Aegean Sea, washing Santorini, there were hotels, hotels and villas. Today, when talking about tourist Santorini, they mean the following popular resorts:

Oya (Oya);
Imerovigli;
Firostefani;
Fira;
Kamari;
Perissa.

All of these resorts are located from north to south, and it turns out that the capital of Santorini - the city of Fira is located in the center of the island. Fira has the most sights and entertainment, so that the capital's residents and guests often "buzz" all night long. But the cost of rest in Fira is higher than in remote areas. Although you can save a little and settle in the villages of Imerovigli and Firostefani ( 2 km from Fira).

Both Thira and Oia, which looks like a toy town, are a must to go for a walk. But music from all sides rumbles here until late at night, and even in a hotel room you can’t hide from it.

Most romantic corner I will find the newlyweds in Imerovigli. picturesque town located on the very high point islands above the caldera.

Here are the best observation platforms, and one of them is the balcony of your hotel room, where you will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The quiet fairy-tale town of Firostefani clusters its white houses just a kilometer north of Thira. Among them stands the church of St. Gerasim, surrounded by dense cypresses.

The view of the caldera from here is different than from Thira, but no less breathtaking.

A little closer to Tire are the monasteries of the Dominicans and the Sisters of Mercy. This is where Catholics get married.
Firostefani, too, looms over the cliff, its intricate neighborhoods devoid of straight lines. On tight streets wedding processions appear one after another almost daily.

The young couple from different countries take home their amazing photos against the backdrop of the world-famous caldera with dark aquamarine water.

Vacation with children

Well adapted for children's sea bathing sandy beaches in Perissa. The seabed sinks into the depth gradually. For kids, shallow “frogs” are fenced off here.

Some restaurants offer special children's menu. For young visitors, cooks lay out food in the form of funny figures on plates.

You will definitely find somewhere nearby a restaurant with a play corner for children. There, animators are busy with them, while the adult part of the family enjoys a leisurely lunch.

In general, the Greeks elevate their children to the rank of little angels, and allow them to do whatever they want. Naughty kids cause them not irritation, but a kind smile.

You can safely count on locals they will treat your children with the same kindness.

On the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea there is a volcano of the same name called Santorini. Now a small trace remains of it, an ancient caldera, and earlier there was a huge cone of a volcano here:

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

The collapse of the caldera is associated with intense seismic activity, massive pyroclastic flows and a tsunami that washed away all coastal settlements. During the eruption, the Santorini volcano completely devastated its insides, after which its cone, unable to withstand its own weight, collapsed into an empty magma reservoir, where sea waters poured after it. The resulting giant wave with a height of about 18 meters (in wikipedia, the data is up to 100m) swept through the Cyclades archipelago and reached north coast islands of Crete. The tsunami destroyed all the settlements on the islands of the Aegean Sea, and also affected the shores of Egypt and other Mediterranean countries, suspending 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 happened in 1950. Today, Santorini shows constant seismic activity, and some of its islands still have fumaroles and hydrothermal vents.

The largest in ancient history Minoan eruption on the island of Thira, or Fira, 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.

As far as I heard, dendrochronology can compare the dates of events only a few hundred years ago. Millennial trees in the right amount in right place simply no.

Geologists have figured out how the explosion of a supervolcano caused a “great flood” in Crete

Before the eruption of the supervolcano, the modern Santorini archipelago was a single island. Scientists have 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, forced it to expand and literally tear the island apart.

An unusual “channel” in the northwestern part of the archipelago, which scientists discovered under water, 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 Santorin collapsed even before sea water burst into 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 born in a completely different way.

The fact that this tsunami really existed, scientists do not doubt - its occurrence is clearly evidenced by traces sea water and sand in Minoan palaces Crete, where she could get only if the height of the waves near the coast exceeded ten meters.

Traces of this event, scientists have found in the center of the former mouth of the volcano, and a few hundred meters from the shores of the archipelago.

As the analysis of rocks in the central part showed former island, 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 South part the already former island was literally instantly flooded with powerful outpourings of magma, whose volume exceeded 16 cubic kilometers.

They eventually "slid" 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 height of the waves of which near the former island exceeded 35 meters, decreasing to about ten meters already when they reached the coast 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 northeast channel at the bottom modern sea. Its waters began to fill the resulting basin, completely filling it with water in just 40 minutes, if the depth of the channel was the same as today. Such a rapid course of such geological disasters, as scientists note, suggests that supervolcanoes, especially their island varieties, should be given special attention.

As you can see, death Minoan civilization scientists and historians have put this (formerly) volcano on the map. They say that it was destroyed by a flood, a tsunami from an eruption.

Irregularly shaped failure of the cone of the volcano.

Looks like a flooded quarry

Lime hills adjacent to tuff

central island

Santorini is part of the Cyclades Islands

List of minerals that are available on the islands:

But there are no analyzes of samples for metals.

I propose to see the excavations and the remains of the structure of the Mole-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, mudflow is beyond doubt among archaeologists. But could a 10m high wave reach these buildings? If the volume of water was large, then its inertia could drag mudflow here too.

Excavations of this complex from above

In the process of excavation

After. Already glued and restored jugs

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

Sources:

Santorin Volcano (crater diameter - 1680 m; height was 1.5 km) is an active shield volcano on Greek island Santorini (Thira).

History of the Santorini volcano eruptions

For the ancient Cretans, Thira acted as a metropolis island: the slopes of Mount Santorini were occupied by the capital and other settlements, and at its foot there was a harbor.

Due to the eruption, which dates back to 1645-1600 BC, the settlements on the island died, and on mediterranean coast. So, because of the tsunami that arose (height - 18 m), the Minoan civilization of Crete was destroyed (the ash cloud spread over 1000 km). In addition, this process led to the collapse of the volcanic cone, and sea waters poured into the resulting abyss.

It is worth noting that the island of Thira “shaked” more than once: the largest (Minoan) earthquake is dated 1628 BC, the next (the most powerful) - 1380 BC, and the last - in 1950 (now the volcano “ sleeping”, but not extinguished). The reason lies in the fact that Thira is located at the junction of the Eurasian and African plates, which is why this area is indented by volcanic relief and is manifested here volcanic activity.

What is interesting: Plato, the author of the dialogues Critias and Timaeus, described Atlantis as an island-state that disappeared from the face of the earth under mysterious circumstances. Existing versions say that: the island of Thira is Atlantis; Atlantis was destroyed by the explosion of the Santorini volcano.

Santorini for tourists

The crater of the Santorini volcano is located on the island of Nea Kameni (there are active mini-craters - sulfur compounds come to the surface from them) - everyone is taken there in small boats and on tourist boats bigger size.

Are you going to climb the crater of the volcano - you will climb a rocky lava path to a height of 130 meters; if you wish, you can walk around the crater, from here you will see a wonderful panorama of the island of Santorini and the Aegean Sea. Do not forget to provide yourself with water (there are no springs on Nea Kameni fresh water) and comfortable shoes. In addition, it is worth taking a bathing suit with you, since a trip to the volcano is combined with a visit to healing thermal springs in Palea Kameni (another attraction of the island is the Church of St. Nicholas), where you can and should swim (prefer a dark-colored swimsuit - due to the high content of various minerals, it can be stained).

Sea excursion includes several stops:

First stop - volcano (charity contribution - 2.5 euros): an English-speaking guide will tell about the legends and interesting facts, after which the tourists will have free time to enjoy unforgettable views and create unique photographs.
The second stop is the springs of Palea Kameni (30 minutes - 1 hour will be allocated for swimming).
The third stop is Thirassia: there for two hours you can admire the local beauties, relax on the beach, visit one of the 21 churches, as well as a Greek tavern, where visitors will be treated to local delicacies.
The final stop is Oia, where you can visit the souvenir shops and admire the famous sunsets. West Side The resort overlooks Amoudi Bay. deserves attention and East End resort - from there you can see the Gulf of Armenia.

And after a busy excursion day tourists are returned back to the old port of Fira ( approximate cost tour - 42 euros).

Attractions of the island of Santorini

On Santorini - volcanic island, tourists will be offered to visit the Archaeological Reserve (a visit will cost 5 euros; open from 8 am to 8 pm in June-October; non-working day - Monday), located in Akrotiri. Excavations were carried out in its vicinity and the ruins of the city of the Minoan civilization were discovered, namely, 2-3-storey houses well preserved under the ashes of the volcano, the facades of which were lined with stone slabs; wall painting that decorated interior spaces; Houseware; marble anthropomorphic sculptures; animal figurines; various vessels; the only golden object in the form of a statuette of a golden ibex.

In addition, the attention of tourists deserves Archaeological Museum(is a repository of finds found during the excavations of Ancient Fira and Akrotiri - funerary artifacts, red and black-figure vase paintings, vessels with geometric patterns and other things; admission costs 3 euros) and the Museum Prehistoric Fira(the exposition allows you to admire Neolithic ceramics, a jug from Megalochori, a Minoan vase from Akrotiri and other interesting items; a visit will cost 3 euros) in the city of Fira.

And travelers are happy to relax on the amazing local beaches, covered with both red and black sand. Pay attention to the Perivolos beach, where you can rent a straw umbrella and sunbed, go diving or windsurfing, and also hold a wedding ceremony.

On the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea there is a volcano of the same name called Santorini. Now a small trace remains of it, an ancient caldera, and earlier there was a huge cone of a volcano here:

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

The collapse of the caldera is associated with intense seismic activity, massive pyroclastic flows and a tsunami that washed away all coastal settlements. During the eruption, the Santorini volcano completely devastated its insides, after which its cone, unable to withstand its own weight, collapsed into an empty magma reservoir, where sea waters poured after it. The resulting giant wave with a height of about 18 meters (in wikipedia, the data is up to 100m) swept through the Cyclades archipelago and reached the northern coast of Crete. The tsunami destroyed all the settlements on the islands of the Aegean Sea, and also affected the shores of Egypt and other Mediterranean countries, suspending 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 shows constant seismic activity, and some of its islands still have fumaroles and hydrothermal vents.

The largest Minoan eruption in ancient history on the island of Thera, or Fira, 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.

As far as I heard, dendrochronology can compare the dates of events only a few hundred years ago. There are simply no thousand-year-old trees in the right amount in the right place.

Geologists have figured out how the explosion of a supervolcano caused a "great flood" in Crete

Before the eruption of the supervolcano, the modern Santorini archipelago was a single island. Scientists have 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, forced it to expand and literally tear the island apart.

An unusual "channel" in the northwestern part of the archipelago, which scientists discovered under water, 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 Santorin collapsed even before sea water burst into 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 born 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 get if the wave height near the coast exceeded ten meters.

Traces of this event, scientists have found in the center of the former mouth of the volcano, and a few hundred meters from the shores of the archipelago.

As the analysis of the 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 already former island was literally instantly flooded with powerful outpourings of magma, whose volume exceeded 16 cubic kilometers.

They eventually "slid" into the Aegean Sea, covering the bottom of the southern coast of 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 already when they reached coast of Crete.

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

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

Irregularly shaped failure of the cone of the volcano.

Looks like a flooded quarry

Lime hills adjacent to tuff

central island

Santorini is part of the Cyclades Islands

List of minerals that are available on the islands:

But there are no analyzes of samples for metals.

I propose to see the excavations and the remains of the structure of the Mole-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

Excavations of this complex from above

In the process of excavation

After. Already glued and restored jugs

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

Sources:

Santorini Volcano is a legendary volcano on the island of Santorini (Thira) in the Aegean Sea. The eruption of the Santorini volcano, which happened 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 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.

Santorini is a group of several islands that make up the Cyclades archipelago. Among them are the island of Thira, Palea Kameni, Thirassia, Nea Kameni and Aspro. They are built in the form of a ring, in the nutria of which there is a deep (up to 400 meters) volcanic caldera. Inner shore of big island- Thira - is a steep slopes, the height of which reaches three hundred meters. Whereas the outer edge is gentle comfortable beaches with black lava sand washed by the waves of the Aegean Sea.

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

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

Volcano Santorini - PHOTO