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An eruption at Santorini volcano 1,300 long time ago was far bigger than antecedently thought , suggesting explosive blasts can hap even in full stop of relative unruffled , novel research shows .
Santorini is an submersed volcano locate along a chain of vent known as the Hellenic Island Arc between Greece and Turkey . It can produce volcanic eruption that are so extreme the incrustation above the magma sleeping accommodation collapses and forms a trough - shaped pit , or caldera , several miles across . The last caldera - forming irruption at Santorini , known as the Minoan blast , come about in 1600 B.C. and blow the top off what was then one island , leave behind the present - day archipelago .
The famous white houses of Santorini overlooking the caldera at sunset.
Eruptions of this scale are typically follow by a " rejuvenation " period , during which the magma chamber replenishes and feeds only small eruptions . But a huge plosion in the year A.D. 726 has scientist rethink how the vent behaves during tranquil menstruation , harmonise to a study published Monday ( March 25 ) in the journalNature Geoscience .
" Historical accounts mention that , during the summertime of 726 C.E. , the ocean within the Santorini caldera set out to boil until slow smoke rose and was accompanied by pyroclastic eruptions , " researchers wrote in the study . ( Pyroclastic eruptions are characterise by flows of blister ash , gasoline and rock ‘n’ roll . ) " Large pumice stone blocks were discharge in such quantity that they breed the ocean over an vast area , get hold of the coasts of Macedonia and Asia Minor more than 400 kilometre [ kilometer , or 250 naut mi ] away . "
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Research vessel personnel lay down a core barrel on the rig floor to extrude the sediment core extracted from the seabed.
While these descriptions hint at a huge explosion , the only tincture of this eruptionpreviously foundwas a sparse layer of pumice on Palea Kameni — one of two islands that sit in the centre of the Santorini caldera , where a vent called the Kameni vent open up following the Minoan eruption .
Now , scientist have glean the full extent of the 726 eruption and found that it likely blast from the Kameni vent-hole with a magnitude similar to that of therecord - shattering Tonga volcano eruptionof 2022 , according to the study .
To find out more about the eruption , the research worker practise at unlike sites around the Kameni vent . The deposit inwardness they collected unveil a thick layer of pumice stone and ash , suggest the eruption ejected 0.7 three-dimensional miles ( 3.1 cubic kilometers ) of material — roughly the eq of 1 million Olympian swim pools . Scientists did n’t ask to find grounds of such a powerful eructation just 2,300 age after a caldera - forming eruption . The finding suggests the Santorini caldera is up to of exploding when it should — theoretically — be recharging , according to the study .
Chieh Peng (laboratory officer, IODP JRSO) in red jacket helped by Kara Vadman (marine laboratory specialist, IODP JRSO) define where core sections will be cut, while scientists take a first look at the core material and define if and where samples should be collected.
" Our finding that the Santorini caldera is open of producing large volatile eruptions at an early stage in the caldera cycle imply an elevated chance potential for the eastern Mediterranean region , " the researchers wrote .
The Kameni volcano ventlast erupted in 1950 , produce little burst and lava flows . It has since been abeyant , except for a phase of unrest between 2011 and 2012 , whensatellites picked up telltale signsof magma be active beneath the vent .
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The thin layer of pumice stone on Palea Kameni island indicated the 726 extravasation had a order of magnitude between 3 and 4 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index , which was until now considered a uncollectible - font scenario for the Kameni volcano vent .
The raw results , however , indicate the eruption was a magnitude 5 outcome , which is 10 to 100 times bigger than antecedently think . " A standardized eruptive case today would have knockout event not only for the inhabitants of Santorini and its neighboring island but also for the wide easterly Mediterranean , " the researcher write in the subject field .
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