South Aegean Volcanic Arc

Ashes from the Santorini Volcano, the world's biggest volcanic eruption in history, were found after 3,600 years in the ancient city of Smyrna in İzmir. 

Visualize the scene: above the Aegean Sea, the war between the Giants and the Olympian Gods is raging. Poseidon, the god of the sea, is giving chase to a giant by the name of Polyvotis. When he finally catches up with him, near Kos in the south-east, he uses his trident to tear off a chunk of the island, which he then catapults on top of Polyvotis.

The research vessel RV Poseidon of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research of Kiel in cooperation with the Geology Department of Kapodistrian University of Athens are examining the seabed and the underseas volcanoes of the islands of Cyclades with focus on the volcano of Santorini and the submarine volcano Kolumbo.

The most famous volcano in Greece is that of Santorini thanks to the majestic caldera – the largest in the world at 300 meters in height and with a diameter of 11 kms. However there are 39 volcanoes in regions around Greece, the country with one of the most well-known volcanic arcs worldwide.