PHOTO: Volcano Caldera in Santorini, Greece, A Study in Blue and White

The volcano caldera in Santorini, a study in blue, black, and white, seen frm the village of Oia

The volcano caldera in Santorini is a study in blue, and white, with the ominous black volcano cone squatting in the center of the lagoon. Since the beginning of the Christian Era, the volcano has had eight eruption episodes, in 46-47, 726, 1570-1573, 1707-1711, 1866-1870, 1925-1928, 1939-1941, and 1950. Though the average number of years … Read more

Santorini Island: An Explosive Past, Present, and Future

Crowds clog stairway in the town of Oia on Santorini island

Throughout its history, Santorini island in Greece has been shaped by volcanism. The island first appeared about two-million years ago when volcanic craters emerged from the Aegean Sea. Initially, the craters united into a small round island with a caldera in the center. Herodotus tells us that the island’s first name, Strongili (meaning “the round … Read more