SANTORINI THE EVER CHANGING ISLAND

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SANTORINI THE EVER CHANGING ISLAND
Today, the beautiful island of Santorini has the shape of a crescent which is surrounded by other small islands. Thirassia, Aspronissi, Palaia (old) Kameni and Nea (new) Kameni. Here lies the world’s biggest caldera. However, it hasn’t always been like that. Originally, Santorini and the surrounding islands were only one island. Bigger and round. This is why its original name was “Stroggyli” (meaning: of round shape). As per archaeological findings, Stroggyli has been populated since 6000 B.C.
Santorini is a part of the 5 volcanic centers that form the south volcanic arch of the Aegean. It looks as if it emerges from the deep blue sea, with the summits of the huge volcanic rocks filled with beautiful white and blue houses and churches. Layer upon layer, its red volcanic rocks create a unique image.
Yet, how did Stroggyli became Santorini, the island everybody is falling in love with it or on it?

The Eruption during the Bronze Age, 1600 B.C.
The volcano of Santorini is one of the biggest, underwater, active volcanoes of the world. Perhaps, it is the only one whose caldera reaches the sea.
Its biggest and most significant explosion occurred during the Bronze Age, around 1600 B.C. and it is the second biggest volcano explosion in the world. It is even bigger and more catastrophic that the one of Krakatoa in Indonesia in 1883! The whole center of Stroggyli island has, then, sunk into the sea. The explosion created a massive tsunami which, as it is said, has completely destroyed the advanced civilization of the Minoan Crete.
The large amount of pumice stones that ejected during the volcanic explosion of 1600 B.C. covered the surface of the sea at such extent that their remains have been found not only on various Aegean islands but even at areas of Israel and the Nile in Egypt!

The appearance of Palaia Kameni. The island of Palaia Kameni was the first island that has begun forming after the big volcanic eruption. The creation of Palaia Kameni has started around 197 B.C. And then, the volcano decided to calm down. However, around the end of 46 A.D.- beginning of 47 A.D. the volcano has waken up, from its sleep. Since then and until the eruption of 726 A.D. the island kept changing shapes, because of the earthquakes and the volcano eruptions. Some of its parts were falling and sinking into the sea, while some others were getting bigger as the melted rocks and minerals were setting down. Gradually, and after a lot of transformations the island got its current form.
From 1570 until 1573 A.D. a new island has been created in the sea, approximately 4 kilometers north east of Palaia Kameni. This island has originally been called Mikri (small) Kameni.

The appearance and the evolution of Nea Kameni: 1707-1870 A.D.
Between 1701 and 1711 A.D. new eruptions were taking place in the caldera. This was one of the rare cases where a volcano emerged from the sea. During the eruptions, the Castle (Kasteli) of Skaros was still populated. From that spot, people could watch a new island been created. After a very big earthquake, on May 1711 A.D., a white island started to slowly appear on the west side of Mikri Kameni. It kept on, slowly, growing, until when, 4 months later, this little island has become so big that it was almost “touching” the previous small island (Mikri Kameni). When this interesting geological activity has been completed, around 1870, the two small islands did not exist any more, as they have turned into one new bigger island with a new name: Nea Kameni.

So, during several explosions and earthquakes over the next centuries, Santorini, Palaia (old) Kameni and Nea (new) Kameni where the volcano lies, ended up in their existing shape. Both, the “new” islands of Palaia and Nea Kameni are easily accessible and extremely interesting to visit. You should, no doubt about it, extent you Santorini stay with a visit to these two islands. You will certainly understand the evolution of this magnificent geological miracle and you will feel the energy and the power of nature.