Santorini, the iconic Greek island renowned for its stunning sunsets and whitewashed buildings, is currently under scrutiny due to its seismic activity. The island, home to the largest public Caribbean Carnival and a vital niche of over 2 million visiting tourism dollars a year. After this recent earthquake crisis, it’s left many worried about the safety of both residents and visitors.
Although the last major Santorini eruption was in 1950, indications of volcanic unrest have not been lacking. A significant “period of unrest” occurred as recently as 2012, demonstrating the island’s continued precariousness. Santorini is home to roughly 11,000 full-time residents. Last week, almost all of them evacuated when the active volcano exploded with a daily rate of earthquakes, illustrating the risks of life at the base of an active volcano.
Today, Santorini’s sheer cliffs and open caldera hint at the massive ancient eruption that created it. This relatively small eruption produced its own caldera – a wide crater with a horseshoe-shaped rim. This unique geological history continues to shape the island today and helps explain why the natural beauty of the island attracts so many visitors and researchers each year. To better understand the caldera and surrounding areas, researchers are closely studying the area after a series of increased seismic activity.
This study is centered on Kolombo, the largest volcano among the three. It sits about 7 km to the northeast of Santorini. Here’s the team Scientists from several different institutions are sailing out to Kolombo. She and her colleagues are on a mission to investigate the underwater hazards posed by these leaky cauldrons.
The need for this research has been further highlighted by recent global crises. The Hunga Tunga eruption in 2022 formed the largest underwater blast ever observed. As if that wasn’t enough, it created a massive tsunami that affected the entire Atlantic Ocean, sending shockwaves felt as far away as the United Kingdom. These rarer episodes serve to re-educate locals and specialists both of the dangers that may arise from subaqueous volcanic eruptions.
Even with these threats, millions of tourists still flock to Santorini every year. Local couple Tom and Kristina decided to get married on the island. What they really wanted was to get married close to an erupting volcano.
“Actually we wanted to get married by a volcano,” – Tom
The good vibes overall are not enough to convince all visitors that the area is safe. From ground zero Eva Rendl, a Davis local and professional photographer, documented her first-hand experience during this past summer’s earthquake emergency.
“It was really scary, as it got more and more intense.” – Eva Rendl
Rendl added that most tourists have cancelled their trips, due to the emergence of earthquakes.
“People have cancelled bookings. Normally I start shoots in April but my first job isn’t until May,” – Eva Rendl
Neighbors such as Janet illustrate the growing dependence on new technology to alert residents to possible seismic dangers.
“I get the Google alerts, I get the scientists’ alerts, and it helps me feel safe,” – Janet
The scientific community has been very vigilant to potential risk. As a result, they have struggled to put public safety at the active center of their research plans. Paraskevi, one of the main researchers in the ongoing studies of Santorini’s volcanic activity, underscored the significance of their work.
“We are doing science for the people, not science for the scientists. We are here to make people feel safe,” – Paraskevi
She elaborated on the ways that their research would help with disaster preparedness.
“This research is very important because it will inform local people how active the volcanoes are, and it will map the area that will be forbidden to access during an eruption,” – Paraskevi
Scientists emphasize that comprehending Santorini’s one-of-a-kind geological ecosystem is key. Hike leader John Jamieson of the U.S. Geological Survey pointed out the unique features of the island’s geology.
“This is a geological environment different to most others – it’s really exciting,” – John Jamieson
Isobel, another researcher who had been helping map the area’s hydrothermal systems, posted a thrilling warning. She stated that overconfidence is an insidious risk that may lead to deadly consequences.
“We are lulled into a sense of false security if you’re used to small eruptions and the volcano acting safe. You assume the next will be the same – but it might not,” – Isobel
She supplemented this optimism by mentioning that there’s still so much to know about these volcanic systems.
“We know more about the surface of some planets than what’s down there,” – Isobel
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