Will Ancient Akrotiri Face Another Massive Eruption?

Popular Archaeology ^ | September 2012

[Renfield]

The ancient Minoan city of Akrotiri was destroyed by a massive eruption over 3,000 years ago. Will it happen again soon to the excavated remains and the modern town? Scientists uncover some possible signs.....

Now, a new survey suggests that a chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini's volcano has expanded 10-20 million cubic metres – up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium – between January 2011 and April 2012.

The growth of this 'balloon' of magma has seen the surface of the island rise 8-14 centimetres during this period, a team led by Oxford University scientists has found. The results come from an expedition, funded by the UK's Natural Environment Research Council, which used satellite radar images and Global Positioning System receivers (GPS) that can detect movements of the Earth's surface of just a few millimetres.....

[Renfield]

Michelle Parks gets ready to make some GPS measurements on Santorini. This survey suggests that the chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini’s volcano expanded 10-20 million cubic meters – up to 15 times the size of London’s Olympic Stadium – between January 2011 and April 2012. The growth of this ‘balloon’ of magma has seen the surface of the island rise eight-14 centimeters during this period. Photo credit: Becca Neely

[Renfield]

Catastrophism ping

[Cowboy Bob]

I'll be in Santorini next week. I'll write a full report if the island blows up... :)

[BenLurkin]

Nice....boats.

[Renfield]

Great! I’ll be waiting on the edge of my seat for that report. :<)

[Oratam]

The presence of cleavage in addition to aforementioned uplift suggests active volcanism.

[Joe 6-pack]

Some have posited the theory that the last eruption brought about the plagues of Egypt detailed in the Book of Exodus.

[Verginius Rufus]

Current thinking puts the massive ancient eruption about 1628 B.C. (based on study of an ice core from Greenland--some of the ash from Thera landed on Greenland). That is much too early for the time of Moses.

Anyway I don't think there were enough frogs on Thera to cause the plague of frogs in Egypt.

[editor-surveyor]

>> “Anyway I don’t think there were enough frogs on Thera to cause the plague of frogs in Egypt.” <<

.
Thanks, you saved me a lengthy post to say about the same thing!

Amazing how people will strain their larnyx to diminish God’s perfect word.

[Renfield]

The "academically accepted" pharaonic chronology is incorrect, according to a number of investigations into the subject that I've read. 1628 BC might indeed be the time of Moses.

By the way, for an excellent examination of the time of the Exodus, I suggest Tempest and Exodus by Ralph Ellis.

http://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Exodus-Ralph-Ellis/dp/0932813984

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Renfield.

...a new survey suggests that a chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini's volcano has expanded 10-20 million cubic metres -- up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium -- between January 2011 and April 2012. The growth of this 'balloon' of magma has seen the surface of the island rise 8-14 centimetres...

Looks like a two-list ping.

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[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Renfield. ...a new survey suggests that a chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini's volcano has expanded 10-20 million cubic metres -- up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium -- between January 2011 and April 2012. The growth of this 'balloon' of magma has seen the surface of the island rise 8-14 centimetres... There was no Theran super-eruption in the 2nd millennium BC, the caldera is prehistoric, and the open side of it points toward the Greek mainland, which would have rec'd the bulk of the tsunami. Bupkis. [snip] Even when, during the respective Thera Conferences, individual scientists had pointed out that the magnitude and significance of the Thera eruption must be estimated as less than previously thought, the conferences acted to strengthen the original hypothesis. The individual experts believed that the arguments advanced by their colleagues were sound, and that the facts of a natural catastrophe were not in doubt... All three factors reflect a fantasy world rather than cool detachment, which is why it so difficult to refute the theory with rational arguments. [/snip] -- Eberhard Zangger, "The Future of the Past: Archaeology in the 21st Century", pp 49-50. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[SunkenCiv]

The ice core ash in Greenland doesn’t match Thera, it’s probably from Arctic North America.

[SunkenCiv]

Wow, have fun!

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

I’d like to discuss this with Michelle Parks .

[Verginius Rufus]

Thanks for the heads-up. I had heard about the ash from Thera being found on Greenland from some Aegean Bronze Age specialists and wasn’t aware of the more recent work rejecting that—I found something from 2003 by Douglas J. Keenan (published by the American Geophysical Union). He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about (I need to find an English translation—it’s in Geologese)...but I’m suspicious of anything put out by a union.

[blam]

Santorini Eruption Much larger Than Originally Believed

[blam]

Santorini Eruption Much larger Than Originally Believed

[SunkenCiv]

Married, or maybe just engaged.