The island, known from ancient times as Thira, is one of the most famous and beautiful islands in the world and is located in the southernmost part of Cyclades, near Anafi. Apart from its incomparable beauty, it is one of the active in Greece and Europe. Or has the authorities on alert. The area is geologically very active due to volcanic activity, and the fact that earthquakes occur at a relatively small depth, raises fears of a possible eruption of the volcano or other geological processes. Scientists monitor the situation closely and continuously analyze the data. CORVERSE Santorini in ancient times was called Strongyli because of its circular shape which was changed by the eruption of the volcano in 1650 BC and the central part of the island sank by forming Caldera . Phoenicians called it Kallistis and Dorians Thera. The name Santorini was taken in the 12th century by the Franks called “Santa Irene”, i.e. Agia Irini. The eruption of the volcano was also the important reason – by a large proportion of scholars – for cutting off the great development of the island since until 2000 BC Minoan culture flourished. It is even said that the entire Aegean Sea was darkened and the waves destroyed the culture of Crete and Egypt. CORVERSE A cosmogenic event such as the eruption of the volcano of Santorini 3,500 years ago is natural next to occupy the scientific world until today, while archaeologists have still failed to agree to an absolute date of the eruption. The Minoan eruption and the end of a civilization? Minoan Culture, the first major culture to be developed in Europe, was born and flourished in Crete. On his prime he was destroyed and disappeared forever, leaving only striking specimens of his superiority. The unexplained end of civilization led many archaeologists, including Professor Spyros Marinatos and English Evans, to link the destruction of Minoan Culture to the eruption of the volcano of Santorini. Somewhere between myth and history, archaeologists and scientists connected the two events, considering that the destruction of Minoan civilization was caused by the violent eruption of the volcano of Santorini. Initially they believed that the eruption of the volcano occurred in 1450 BC, that is, when the Minoan Palace was destroyed, but today it is said that the explosion occurred earlier, somewhere between 1627 and 1600 BC. The cosmogenic event of the volcano explosion could not leave Crete unscathed, which is so close to Santorini. The volcanic ash of the volcano of Santorini is said to have covered the Minoan city in Akrotiri, Thira, covered the Aegean sky and reached Crete. The explosion also caused a huge tsunami, with waves over 100 meters high hitting the coast of Crete and other Aegean islands. The tsunami caused huge disasters, while the ash that fell into the sea contaminated the water and killed marine life. The effects of the explosion were disastrous for Minoan culture, which had developed in Crete and spread to many Aegean islands. In fact, it meant the end of it. Professor of natural disasters Konstantinos Panolakis spoke today on Monday (03.02.2025) about the possibility of a volcano explosion and explained that we are not going to have a major explosion like Minoan. According to him “perhaps if he reaches the surface, we will not have a major explosion like Minoan. We will have an explosion like this, that is speculation, like the 1950s or 1922 explosions. Santorini makes small explosions, historically, every about 50 years by instrument and makes large explosions every 10,000 – 15,000”. The deadly earthquake of 7.5 Richter that leveled Santorini in 1956 The Aegean is one of the most seismic regions in the world, and Santorini, with its active volcano, has experienced many seismic and volcanic crises in its history. The July 9, 1956 earthquake was among the most devastating that hit the island and surrounding areas. The earthquake, measuring 7.5 points of the Richter scale and the massive tidal wave of up to 25 meters that followed, caused huge disasters in Santorini, Amorgos and other islands of the south Aegean, leaving behind dozens of dead, hundreds of injured and thousands of homeless. According to experts, sea waves reached a height of 20 meters in Amorgos and 10 meters in Santorini and Astypalea. A 4.9 Richter attention had warned since noon the previous day centered on the sea section south of Amorgos. The next day, at dawn on July 9 (hour 05:11) the main earthquake magnitude 7.5 Richter occurred. A strong aftershock of 7.2 Richter followed, further exacerbating the already chaotic situation. Many buildings that had suffered cracks since the first vibration collapsed, while residents who had survived ran in panic to be saved from the ruins. Earthquakes killed 53 people and injured more than 100, but created one of the largest sea waves of gravity (tsunami) in the Aegean. The tragedy remained indelibly engraved in the collective memory of the inhabitants of Cyclades and all Greeks.
Santorini: When the volcano woke up and swallowed Minoan Culture
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in Greece