Santorini volcano last eruption. Eruption of Santorini: the death of Atlantis and the Minoan civilization

Santorini is the number one destination in Greece according to Tripadvisor. And indeed it is. Acropolis of Athens pales against the background of this extraordinary island.

In fact, Santorini is a group of islands in the Aegean Sea. The group includes the islands of Thira, Thirasia, Palea Kameni, Nea Kameni and Aspro. The population of Thirasia is very small, Palea Kameni, Nea Kameni and Aspro are generally uninhabited, so main island Tire is simply called by the name of the archipelago.

Volcano Santorini

The main attraction of the island is the Santorini volcano. Arriving in Santorini, it is simply impossible not to visit the volcano - the island is the volcano. The exception is Santorini Peak, but more on that later. The volcano is active. The island shakes regularly. The last serious earthquake here occurred in 1956.

Until 1500 BC the island had a round shape and was called Strongyla. The Santorini volcano, which was located in the center of the island, had a height of 1.5 km. About one and a half thousand years BC an event occurred that decisively changed both history ancient world, and the shape of the island - an eruption with a force of up to 7 points on the eruption scale. As a result of the eruption, the crater of the volcano collapsed and a huge caldera (crater) was formed, which was immediately filled with the sea. The sea surface area of ​​the caldera reaches about 32 square meters. miles, and the depth is 300-400 m. All that remains of ancient Strongyla is the currently visible crescent with a steep cliff of more than 300 m in the western part and flat beaches in the eastern part.

This is what Santorini looks like today. In the very center there is an island-crater (Palea Kameni), surrounded by a flooded caldera and individual islands. Source: Wikipedia.

After the volcano's mouth was filled with water, it evaporated and a huge explosion occurred (the effect of a steam boiler), which caused a huge tsunami, presumably 100 to 200 m high, that hit the north coast Krita. The aftermath of the tsunami was sunset Minoan civilization. The disaster was completed by strong earthquakes and volcanic ash thrown over a considerable distance. A tsunami several tens of meters high destroyed everything on the islands Aegean Sea, on Crete, in the coastal Greek settlements, northern Egypt, everyone who lived on the shores Mediterranean Sea, and stopped the development of civilizations for a thousand years. There is a version that it was this tsunami that destroyed Atlantis.

If you look closely at the satellite image, you can clearly see the mountain on the right. This is the peak of Santorini. It has nothing to do with the volcano and was here before it. It has exactly the same structure and origin as all the other islands of the Cyclades archipelago.

From the side of the island, the caldera is framed by steep slopes. It is on these slopes that the top attractions are located - the cities of Fira and Oia.

Sheer cliffs around the caldera of the Santorini volcano. The dark island in the center is a crater.

Santorini is conventionally a Greek island. This can be seen in the architecture, culture, names and Catholics. The name of the island itself is of Latin origin - Santa Irini (in Greek it would be Agios Irini). Obviously Latin names are also found among settlements- Emporio, Perissa, Messario, etc.

Carter of Santorini volcano. Oia is visible in the background, and even further away is the island of Ios.

I'm very skeptical about crowds of tourists, but this island was built for that. We spent five days on the island and didn’t have time to see everything.

Transport in Santorini

Volcano Santorini

Ruins of a Minoan city on Cape Akrotiri

Akrotiri is the name of excavations at the site of a Bronze Age settlement attributed to the Minoan civilization. The name of the excavations is given by the name of the modern village located on a hill nearby. The original name of the ancient settlement is unknown. It was buried under a layer of ash after a volcanic eruption around 1500 BC, leaving it remarkably well preserved. According to experts, before the city was covered with volcanic ash, a strong earthquake occurred, and therefore residents managed to leave their homes in time.

The Akrotiri Museum is one of the most civilized places in Santorini. It's clean, neat and everything is thought out. The infrastructure is very reminiscent of the pyramids of Guimar in Tenerife. The only thing I didn't like was the paid parking (3 euros). We have never seen any other paid parking in Santorini.

The Akrotiri Excavation Museum is a branch of Tenerife in Santorini.

Shortly before the completion of the excavations in 2005, the roof that covered the entire excavation area collapsed, killing one of the visitors. The excavations were not damaged, but after this the site was closed to the public. In June 2008 it was announced that Akrotiri would be closed to tourists until at least 2010. I don’t know exactly when they opened, but the museum is open.

Red Beach

Red Beach is located very close to Akrotiri. The beach is like a beach, only red. For such a popular and organized beach, the parking and approach are surprisingly poor. Poor aunties have difficulty making their way over stones and other gullies. The parking lot near the beach resembles the average Novgorod courtyard.

Black Beach

Black beach is everywhere in Santorini. A volcano is a volcano. There are beaches with very small pebbles - they are called sandy. They are located in the beach villages of Perissa and Kamari.

Surprisingly, Santorini is developed beach holiday. Beach villages and beaches here are so-so; if you want a beach, go somewhere else (better not to Greece at all).

Santorini Peak

Santorini Peak is the highest point on the island. There is a NATO radar at the peak and the peak itself is closed to visitors. However, almost at the very top, there is observation decks. From the peak the entire archipelago is clearly visible.

The Santorini volcano (crater diameter - 1680 m; height was 1.5 km) is an active shield volcano on greek island Santorini (Thira).

History of eruptions of Santorini volcano

For the ancient Cretans, Thira acted as a metropolitan island: the slopes of Mount Santorini were occupied by the capital and other settlements, and at its foot there was a harbor.

Due to the eruption, which dates back to 1645-1600 BC, settlements on the island were destroyed, and on Mediterranean coast. Thus, due to a tsunami (height - 18 m), the Minoan civilization of Crete was destroyed (the ash cloud spread over 1000 km). In addition, this process led to the collapse of the volcanic cone, and sea ​​waters.

It is worth noting that the island of Thira “shaked” more than once: the largest (Minoan) earthquake is dated 1628 BC, the next (most powerful) – 1380 BC, and the last – 1950 (now a volcano “ sleeps”, but did not go out). The reason lies in the fact that Thira is located at the junction of the Eurasian and African plates, which is why this area It is rugged by volcanic terrain and volcanic activity occurs here.

What’s interesting: Plato, the author of the dialogues “Critias” and “Timaeus,” described Atlantis as an island-state that disappeared from the face of the earth under mysterious circumstances. Existing versions say that: the island of Thira is Atlantis; Atlantis was destroyed by the explosion of the Santorini volcano.

Santorini for tourists

The crater of the Santorini volcano is located on the island of Nea Kameni (there are active mini-craters - sulfur compounds come out of them to the surface) - everyone is taken there on small boats and on larger tourist boats.

If you are planning to climb the crater of a volcano, you will have to climb a rocky lava trail to a height of 130 meters; If you wish, you can walk around the crater, from here you will see a wonderful panorama of the island of Santorini and the Aegean Sea. Don't forget to provide yourself with water (there are no springs on Nea Kameni fresh water) and comfortable shoes. In addition, you should take a swimsuit with you, since a trip to the volcano is combined with a visit to healing thermal springs in Palea Kameni (another attraction of the island is the Church of St. Nicholas), in which you can and should swim (give preference to a dark-colored swimsuit - due to the high content of various minerals, it may become stained).

Sea excursion includes several stops:

• First stop - the volcano (charitable contribution - 2.5 euros): an English-speaking guide will tell you about the legends and interesting facts, after which tourists will have free time to enjoy unforgettable views and create unique photographs.
• The second stop is the Palea Kameni springs (30 minutes - 1 hour will be allocated for swimming).
• The third stop is Thirassia: there for two hours you will be able to admire the local beauty, relax on the beach, visit one of the 21 churches, as well as a Greek tavern, where visitors are treated to local delicacies.
• The final stop is Oia: here you can visit souvenir shops and admire the famous sunsets. The western part of the resort overlooks Amoudi Bay. The eastern part of the resort also deserves attention - it offers views of the Gulf of Armenia.

And after a busy excursion day, tourists are returned back to old port Fira (approximate cost of the tour – 42 euros).

Sights of Santorini island

On Santorini, a volcanic island, tourists will be invited to visit the Archaeological Reserve (a visit will cost 5 euros; open from 8 am to 8 pm in June-October; closed on Monday), located in Akrotiri. In its vicinity, excavations were carried out and the ruins of a city of the Minoan civilization were discovered, namely, 2-3 storey houses well preserved under the ashes of the volcano, the facades of which were lined with stone slabs; wall painting that decorated interior spaces; Houseware; marble anthropomorphic sculptures; animal figurines; various vessels; the only gold object in the form of a figurine of a golden capricorn.

In addition, it deserves the attention of tourists Archaeological Museum(is a repository of finds found during excavations of Ancient Thera and Akrotiri - funerary artifacts, red and black-figure vase paintings, vessels with geometric patterns and other things; entrance costs 3 euros) and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera (the exhibition allows you to admire Neolithic ceramics, a jug from Megalochori, Minoan vase from Akrotiri and other interesting objects; a visit will cost 3 euros) in the city of Fira.

And travelers also happily relax on amazing local beaches, covered with both red and black sand. Pay attention to Perivolos Beach, where you can rent a straw umbrella and sunbed, go diving or windsurfing, and also hold a wedding ceremony.

GREECE
Santorini, 1470 BC e. what do we know?

The catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano in the Aegean Sea occurred in the summer of 1470 BC. e. Experts believe that it was this that caused the 4 main prehistoric events described by Plato and confirmed by the Bible.

These are the following events:

• The disappearance of Atlantis in one night.
• The parting of the Red Sea.
• The thickening night that allowed the children of Israel to leave Egypt.
• The disappearance of the Minoan culture.

If you believe the theory of the director of the seismological laboratory of the University of Athens, Professor George A. Galanopoulos, all these legendary events are connected by one catastrophic cause - an unusual powerful eruption Santorini volcano, located in the Aegean Sea 200 kilometers southeast of Athens and 110 kilometers north of the island of Crete. The proximity of these places is one of the reasons indicating the proximity of rivals. Most likely, it was the proximity of a powerful state next to Athens that required war with this state, and not with a very distant one, somewhere in the Atlantic.

Santorini (corruption of medieval Italian "Saint Irene" - patron saint volcanic island Thira is one of a group of volcanoes in the Aegean Sea that form an arc that borders the former landmass. According to Dr. Galanopoulos' theory, the first underground explosions of Santorini occurred during the Pleistocene era, after which the volcano's dome grew, along with other nearby domes, to 1,615 meters above sea level.

Apparently this build-up occurred without much incident. But in the summer of 1470 BC. Santorini erupted with incredible power, quite sufficient to grind its peak - the dome - into dust, collapse the slopes of nearby volcanic mountains and throw a monstrous geyser of molten rocks into the atmosphere over the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, especially Crete, and partly Egypt. After a gigantic explosion, an area of ​​200,000 square kilometers was completely covered with volcanic ash. The concentration of gases in the atmosphere was so high that clouds of ash obscured the sun. To Egypt and eastern part A darkness fell over the Mediterranean Sea that lasted for several days, perhaps even weeks.

The caldera (a depression formed by a volcanic eruption) of Santorini was huge - three times larger than the caldera of the Krakatoa volcano. According to Plato and Dr. Galanopoulos, before the eruption, the lost colony of Atlantis was located on the island.

During the explosion of Santorini in 1470 BC. The civilization of the mythical empire of Atlantis was destroyed. Everything that could survive sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

Legend and reality complement each other here. Firstly, although Santorini initially erupted and was active enough to “grow” to a height of 1615 meters, it then probably ceased activity long enough for a civilization to arise at the top of the volcano. Secondly, the area of ​​the volcano's summit was approximately 80 square kilometers. This is not enough for a large civilization, but it is quite suitable for such as Athens or Sparta. They were the ones used for comparison in those days.

The story of Atlantis, an island empire that sank in one day, is told by Plato in the opening part of Timaeus and in more detail in Critias. The story is attributed to Critias, an Athenian politician close to Socrates. Critias, in turn, heard it as a ten-year-old boy from his 90-year-old grandfather. He also heard it from his father, a friend of Solon, the founder of Athenian democracy. In general, it’s like in the game “damaged phone”. By the time the news reached Plato, it could have been greatly distorted.

It seems that Solon was a progressive and free thinker. He relied on "illegal agreements" when it came to personal freedom. For this he was exiled to Egypt for 10 years. There, from the priests of Sais, one of the ancient cities in the Nile Delta, he learned the history of the island empire, which was larger in area than Libya and Western Asia combined and located behind the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar). 9,000 years ago, this empire disappeared under water in one day.

Santorini is an island with rich history. Researchers claim that people have inhabited this island since Neolithic times. Around 3200 BC Cretans lived on the island. Their influence became obvious during the excavations of Akrotiri - they found a village with identical architecture to the houses that were excavated in the Minoan palace on Crete.

At that time, due to its shape, the island was called Stronghyle or Strongili, which means “round” in Greek. But 1500 B.C. everything has changed. The peaceful course of life of the ancient world was disrupted by a monstrous explosion of a volcano, which was located in the very center of the island. Eventually most of The islands sank, forming the famous caldera (the largest in the world). The island is no longer round, and the small islands formed around the perimeter are now called Santorini, Aspronisi and Thirasia.

Excavations at Akrotiri began in 1956. A team of archaeologists led by Spyros Marinatos unearthed a well-preserved city that was completely buried under volcanic ash. The tidal wave from the eruption was so huge that it reached Crete (70 nautical miles, for a moment). Many scientists believe that the explosion contributed to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. And someone seriously thinks that it was there, in the unique caldera of Santorini, that Atlantis sank.

After the explosion, the Dorians settled the island and named it Thera, in honor of their king.

Christianity came to the island only in the 3rd century AD. An important monument of that period is the small graceful church of Panagia. During the same period, the Crusaders changed the name of the island to Santorini, building a small chapel of Hagia Irene.

In the 18th century, the island began to actively develop. Industry began to grow. Santorini processed tomatoes, produced wine and textiles. At this time, life on the island was peaceful, apart from the occupation by German troops during World War II. All this time the volcano continued to erupt and created small islands Pelea and Nea Kameni.

Tourism began to actively develop in Santorini in the late 1970s. Every year 1.5 million tourists come here to enjoy the unique atmosphere of the island and the famous sunsets.

Locals still call the island Thira, so don't be surprised if you see this name on ferry schedules. Just remember that Thira = Santorini.

A little more about the volcano

It is known that the volcano on Santorini exploded more than once. After such explosions, magma filled the caldera and a new explosion occurred.

A caldera is a large crater formed after the explosion of a volcano.

Each time the caldera deepened. After one of these explosions, magma slowly filled the old caldera, creating the round island of Stronghyle. Ultimately, the center of the island collapsed once again, forming the modern Santorini caldera, which is again slowly filling with cooling magma.

IN this moment The caldera area of ​​Santorini is about 48 square meters. km, and the depth is from 300 to 600 meters. The depth of water in the caldera is from 150 to 350 meters.

Those. in fact, Santorini is a volcano, perhaps the largest in the world and still active.