| Santorini Volcano |
 The last of the powerful eruptions took place in 1630 B.C., during a period that Santorini had a prosperous civilization, similar to that of Crete. At those times, the island has a circular shape from Akrotiri until Aspronisi. The volcanic ash covered covered the settlements, the house of which had already collapsed by the seismic action of the eruption. The latest volcanic eruption in Santorini and all over Greece took place in 1950. Intense volcanic activity had been observed and the volcanic ash was bumped 100 meters high and volcanic stones were catapulted 850 meters away from the crater.Palea Kameni (meaning in Greek the Old Burned) is less than 2000 years old, while Nea Kameni is only 435 years old and its latest lavas are only 58 years old. Palea Kameni is 98,5 meters in height and 600 m2 in size. Couple of years ago, Sasntorinians used to grow Palea Kameni is already 2000 years old, so that the soil there is fertile enough for some crop the soil of Palea Kameni, which has become fertile enough after 2000 years of existence. Today, only goats, rabbits and pigeons survive on the island. Nea Kameni (meaning in Greek the Old Burned) has a size of 3,4 Km2 and a maximum height of 127. There is almost no soil on the island, since most of its part is covered by volcanic rocks and stones. The flora of Nea Kameni is only some minor undergrass, while only in some specific points some wild fig-trees survive. The fauna is only a few rabbits, mice and lizards. After the last eruption, the volcanoes of Santorini are dormant. The only signs that magma is still under the Santorini are the numerous Hot Springs and the emissions of steams on many points of Nea Kameni craters. Today, with scientific methods, we can safely forecast that the periodicity of such great eruptions ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 years, while the last great eruption took place 3,600 years ago. In an event of a forthcoming eruption, the inhabitants of the island will be warned at least some months beforehand. A number of instruments placed at various points around the island and on Nea Kameni monitor chemical and geological changes and seismic events. These instruments form part of the Volcano Observatory, set up by the Institute for the Study and Monitoring of the Santorini Volcano. A forecast of a few months to a year can be made about expected events, which will hopefully give the inhabitants and visitors enough time to leave should a future eruption occur. |
