The Volcanic Eruption in Prehistoric Thera: Impacts on Human and Natural Environment

Abstract

The purpose of the thesis is to examine how the volcanic eruption in Prehistoric Thera/Santorini affected the human and natural environment through the examination of the archaeological remains and the comparison of the scientific data provided by contemporary volcanic explosions. Volcanoes are among the most hazardous of natural disasters in terms of impact scales; they can be unpredictable and often catastrophic. The Prehistoric volcanic eruption in the island of Thera (Minoan eruption) was one of the Earth's most awe inspiring, natural, cataclysmic events of all times (LaMoureaux, 1995). Dating the Minoan eruption has been a challenge for archaeologists and scientists over the years; however, after recent discoveries (2012) both seem to agree about the date of the volcanic explosion. The eruption was developed in four phases but in a short time span while the products of the explosion affected the entire Mediterranean Sea. An effort is made to estimate the amount of volcanic gases produced during the Minoan eruption by correlating contemporary measurements of volcanic gas ejectives to their volcanic explosivity index. Moreover, emphasis is given on the hazard that the volcanic gases pose to human and natural environment based on current observations concerning the interaction between volcanic emissions and the environment; the Minoan eruption itself had worldwide environmental impact on climate, vegetation, soils, and civilizations. The prehistoric explosion of Thera’s volcano caused the rapid abandonment of the flourishing settlement of the island (Akrotiri) while the explosion has been also connected with the demise of the Minoan civilisation on the island of Crete. The tremendous impact of the Minoan eruption on global scale and the continuous volcanic activity of the island, even nowadays two of the volcanoes circling the island remain active, has established the necessity of monitoring the volcanic activity, since the possibility of an eruption remains.