NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Scientists from the Helmholtz Geomart Center for Oceanic Research in Kiel conducted an analysis of the Columbus underwater crater in the Aegean Sea.
This enabled them to reconstruct the history of the cataclysm that occurred in 1650. At that time, the eruption of the Colombo underwater volcano occurred, but its consequences could previously be judged only by the preserved testimonies of eyewitnesses.
This is reported by Nature Communications.
At the end of the summer of 1650, the inhabitants of the Greek island of Santorini noticed that the sea water was changing color and boiling. About seven kilometers to the northeast of the island, a volcano rose from the sea and began spewing red-hot stones.
Fire and lightning became visible, and the sky was covered with columns of smoke. The water suddenly receded, but after a few moments rushed to the shore again, causing 20-meter waves.
The sound of the explosion could be heard within a radius of 100 km. Nearby islands were covered with pumice and ash, and a cloud of poisonous gas led to the death of several people.
The authors of the new study set themselves the task of finding out how the tsunami was formed and why the volcano exploded with such force. They analyzed the crater, which is now 18 m deep, using three-dimensional seismic to create a three-dimensional image.
The results showed that the diameter of the crater reached 2.5 km, and the depth was 500 m, which indicates a very strong explosion. Part of the cone is deformed. According to scientists, this indicates a landslide.
Computer simulations showed that the volcanic explosion could have caused waves up to 6 meters high. But in combination with a landslide, it caused waves up to 20 meters high, as evidenced by historical data.
Scientists explained that enormous pressure has accumulated in the magma chamber of the volcano. When one of the slopes slipped, there was an effect similar to uncorking a bottle of champagne – the sudden release of pressure allowed the gas in the magma system to expand, leading to a powerful explosion.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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