Tsunami triggering mechanisms associated with the 17th cent. BC Minoan eruption of thera Volcano, Greece
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Date of Original Version
9-17-2012
Abstract
Systematic seismic profiling and swath bathymetry of the seafloor around Santorini volcanic field, including the caldera, shed light to the structure and seismic stratigraphy of the accumulated volcanic deposits and the mechanisms which may have led to the generation of one or multiple tsunamis during the Minoan eruption. We propose that tsunamis may have been triggered by two distinct processes associated with the Minoan eruption: (i) Massive pyroclastic flows entering the ocean around the islands of Santorini. The total volume of the pyroclastic flow deposits on the seafloor around Santorini is about 54.5 km3. (ii) The collapse of the Minoan volcanic edifice below the sea-level created new space of minimum volume 4.5-5 km3 between the sea-level and the 200m depth contour. The total volume created may exceeded 10 km3. Copyright © 2012 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Sakellariou, Dimitris, Grigoris Rousakis, Paraskevi Nomikou, Kathy Croff Bell, Steve Carey, and Haraldur Sigurdsson. "Tsunami triggering mechanisms associated with the 17th cent. BC Minoan eruption of thera Volcano, Greece." Proceedings of the International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference (2012). https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/gsofacpubs/1036