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Discovery Beneath Santorini Volcano Reshapes Understanding of European Volcanic Systems
🇬🇷 Greece /Disasters & Emergencies

Discovery Beneath Santorini Volcano Reshapes Understanding of European Volcanic Systems

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A new international study reveals an unknown geological structure, the Kolumbo Graben, beneath the Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic complex.
  • This discovery significantly impacts the understanding of one of Europe's most active volcanic systems.
  • The findings suggest tectonic stretching played a key role in the formation of the Kolumbo volcano and the wider volcanic zone.

A groundbreaking international scientific study has unveiled a previously unknown geological structure beneath the Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic complex, significantly altering our understanding of one of Europe's most active volcanic systems. The research, published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, identifies the "Kolumbo Graben" as a key feature influencing volcanic evolution.

a new publication by our research team reveals a fundamental mechanism that links tectonic deformation with the evolution of volcanic activity in the Santorini–Kolumbo volcanic field.

— Evi NomikouProfessor of Geological Oceanography at the University of Athens, explaining the significance of the new findings.

Utilizing high-resolution seismic data and results from the international IODP Expedition 398 sub-sea drilling program, scientists discovered the tectonic structure extending northeast of Santorini. This graben is directly linked to the genesis of the submarine Kolumbo volcano and the broader volcanic chain.

Professor Evi Nomikou of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens highlighted the study's findings, noting that it reveals a fundamental mechanism connecting tectonic deformation with volcanic activity in the Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field. The research combined years of geophysical data analysis with results from the deep-sea drilling expedition.

The study brings to light a previously unknown tectonic structure, the Kolumbo Graben (Kolumbo Graben), which extends in the northeastern part of the volcanic field and appears to have played a decisive role in the genesis of the submarine Kolumbo volcano and the Kolumbo Volcanic Chain.

— Evi NomikouProfessor of Geological Oceanography at the University of Athens, detailing the newly discovered geological feature.

The study indicates a significant acceleration in tectonic stretching in the region approximately 330,000 years ago. This period saw increased fault movement and ground subsidence, marking a new phase in the volcanic system's development, preceding the emergence of the Kolumbo volcano and the caldera-forming eruptions of Santorini. Contrary to previous beliefs, volcanic centers were found to have developed within the graben in areas of intense crustal fragmentation, rather than directly on major faults, providing ideal pathways for magma ascent.

One of the most important conclusions of the research is that the volcanic centers did not develop on the main faults, but within the graben, in zones of intense deformation where the crust was more fragmented, creating ideal pathways for magma ascent.

— Evi NomikouProfessor of Geological Oceanography at the University of Athens, describing a key finding that overturns previous assumptions about magma flow.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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