Newly discovered evidence of an exceptionally massive eruption in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc challenges previous understandings of the region’s volcanic activity. Researchers, led by Dr. Steffen Kutterolf from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel and Dr. Timothy Druitt from the University of Clermont-Auvergne, extracted a vast pumice deposit from the seafloor near the Greek archipelago in Santorini.
The South Aegean Volcanic Arc consists of over 20 volcanoes spanning 60 kilometers, most of which are underwater and known for their history of highly explosive eruptions. The recently discovered deposit suggests an eruption exceeding 520,000 years ago was even more explosive than the well-known Late Bronze Age eruption of Santorini around 3,600 years ago, which had significant historical implications.
The newly identified tuff deposit, with a volume exceeding 90 cubic kilometers and a thickness of up to 150 meters, is six times larger than the pyroclastic flow deposits from the Minoan eruption and ten times larger than those from the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption. Pyroclastic flows from this ancient eruption transported volcanic material up to 70 kilometers into nearby sea basins, transforming into turbid flows and mud when mixed with water.
Researchers also discovered layers of rock from the same eruption on three neighboring islands. The dating and estimation of the eruption’s water depth were possible through micropaleontology, with microfossils (foraminifera) used to determine the location of the pumice deposit on the seafloor.
While the chances of another high-magnitude eruption in the volcanic field are considered low, understanding the region’s past volcanic activity is crucial for predicting future events. The findings provide valuable insights into the explosive nature of the South Aegean Volcanic Arc in the distant past and contribute to both volcanology and archaeology.
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