© Steve Jurvetson, CC BYThe massive eruption of the Thera volcano more than 3,500 years ago left behind a hollowed out island, today known as Santorini.
In a CNN profile, scientists studying the volcano noted that although it hasn't erupted for hundreds of years, it is by no means dead.
"If we start seeing increased activity in Kolumbo then we need to be alert," Tim Druitt, volcanologist and expedition co-chief of the deep drilling research vessel JOIDES Resolution, which visited Santorini for the first time late last year, told CNN.
Capable of drilling up to 26,000 feet below the surface of the Aegean Sea, the researchers collected sediments that hadn't yet been uncovered as they attempted to scientifically piece together the region's storied volcanic history.
Another eruption could prove catastrophic. During the Bronze Age, the volcano's eruption wiped out an entire civilization while forming Santorini's one-of-a-kind, semi-submerged caldera.
Comment: The eruption was indeed significant, however a lot more natural phenomena were also occurring during that period that contributed to the collapse of the Bronze Age: The Seven Destructive Earth Passes of Comet Venus
Out of This World
The JOIDES expedition, CNN notes, is far from the first time Kolumbo's been probed by scientists.
Oceanographer and Santorini native Evi Nomikou told CNN that she has taken part in every expedition to the underwater volcano for the past 20 years, and the results have been striking.
Specifically, the University of Athens researcher said that a groundbreaking NASA probe in 2019 led to the discovery of "an extra-terrestrial ocean with life forms that can be found on other planets."
As fascinating as the entire thing is, the concept of one of the world's most popular tourist destinations sitting atop a live volcano is a pretty freaky one to consider.
Fortunately, volcanoes move slowly, and when and if Kolumbo prepares to erupt again, scientists will likely know about it in advance.
"The good news is that volcanoes do give plenty of warning," Druitt told CNN.
Comment: Volcanoes might ordinarily give 'plenty of warning', however there is strong evidence showing that there have been periods throughout history where there are sharp upticks in volcanic activity - as appears to be happening in our own time - moreover, mainstream science has yet to identify and understand the triggers, which may be even greater than the volcanoes themselves: Volcanoes, Earthquakes And The 3,600 Year Comet Cycle
See also:
- Surprise magma chamber growing under Mediterranean submarine volcano Kolumbo
- Frequent fires struck Antarctica during the age of dinosaurs, 75 million years ago
- 19,000 previously unknown undersea volcanoes revealed by satellite data
- Magma rapidly rising beneath 'dormant' volcano Mount Edgecumbe in Alaska, 'rare reactivation' revealed in new study
- Ahyi undersea volcano likely erupting beneath Pacific Ocean
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