Abstract
A tsunami source mechanism, resulting from the collapse of the cone of the Santorin Volcano, accounted for the catastrophic sea waves observed in the Aegean Archipelago and the Eastern Mediterranean in the Bronze Age. The tsunami and destruction resulting from the explosion and collapse of the volcano of Santorin are discussed in this study. On the basis of recent geological evidence, it is concluded that the final caldera collapse resulted from a large earthquake, along an about NE-SW trending normal fault, along which the Santorin Volcanic field has developed. Such a source mechanism can account for the size and destructiveness of this Bronze Age Tsunami with its interesting archaeological and historical implications.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Galanopoulos, A. G.: 1957, The seismic sea wave of July 9, 1956, Prakt. Acad. Athenes 32, 90–101.
Galanopoulos, A. G.: 1960, Tsunamis observed on the coasts of Greece from antiquity to present time, Annali de Geofisica XIII, (3–4), Rome, 371–386.
Galanopoulos, A. G.: Undated, The Minoan Explosion of the Volcano of Thera (in Greek), Athens Archaeological Society, Reprint, pp. 218–232.
Galanopoulos, A. G., 1981, New Light on the Legend of Atlantis and the Mycenean Decadence, Athens.
Galanopoulos, A. G.: 1971, The eastern Mediterranean trilogy in the Bronze Age, Reprinted from the Acta on the 1st International Scientific Congress on the Volcano of Thera, Athens, Greece, 15–23 September 1969, pp. 184–210.
Heiken, G. and McCoy, F. Jr.: 1984, Caldera development during the Minoan eruption, Thera, Cyclades, Greece, J. Geophys. Res. 89, (B10), 8441–8462.
Marinatos, S.: 1939, The volcanic destruction of Minoan Crete, Antiquity 13, 425–439.
Marinos, G. and Melidonis, N.: 1959, On the Amplitude of the Tsunami Originating in the Prehistoric Eruption of Santorin, Greek Geological Society 4, pp. 210–218.
Papazachos, C. B., Koutitas, C. H., Hatzidimitriou, M. P., Karacostas, G. B., and Papaioannou, A. Ch. 1985, Source and short-distance propagation of the July 9, 1956 southern Aegean tsunami, letter section, Marine Geol. 65, 343–351.
Papazachos, C. B., Koutitas, C. H., Hatzidimitriou, M. P., Karacostas, G. B., and Papaioannou, A. Ch: 1986, Tsunami hazard in Greece and the surrounding area, Ann. Geophys. 4 (B1), 79–90.
Pararas-Carayannis, G.: 1973, The waves that destroyed the Minoan empire, Sea Frontiers 19(2), 94–106.
Pararas-Carayannis, G.: 1974, The waves that destroyed the Minoan empire, Revised for Grolier Encyclopedia, Science Supplement, Man and His World, pp. 314–321.
Watkins, N. D., Sparks, R. S. J., Sigurdsson, H., Huang, T. C., Federman, A., Carey, S., and Ninkovich, D.: 1978, Volume and extent of the Minoan tephra from Santorin volcano: New evidence from deep-sea sediment cores, Nature 271, 122–126.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pararas-Carayannis, G. The tsunami generated from the eruption of the volcano of Santorin in the Bronze Age. Nat Hazards 5, 115–123 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127000
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00127000