New paper explains the 1650 tsunamigenic eruption of Aegean Sea’s Kolumbo volcano

A new paper titled “Cascading events during the 1650 tsunamigenic eruption of Kolumbo volcano” was published on the 26^th of October in the Nature Communications journal.

Kolumbo is an underwater volcano in the Aegean Sea, approximately 7 km northeast of Santorini, Greece.

In 1650, its volcanic activity triggered a tsunami that caused widespread destruction on surrounding islands of the Aegean Sea, with wave heights up to 20 meters.

The team of researchers used high-resolution bathymetry and 3D seismic reflection data to accurately model the area’s underwater terrain.

Monitoring results showed that about 1,2 km³ of the volcano’s northwestern flank had moved 500-1000 meters downslope and formed terraces different than the rest of the area, implying the existence of an underwater landslide.

In addition to this, Kolumbo’s crater was found to be 500 meters deep and 2.5 kilometers in diameter, showing that a massive explosion had taken place.

Computer simulations were then conducted, in order for the exact tsunami triggering mechanisms to be determined.

The cases of single landslide or eruption mechanisms were first considered, and it was found that they would not be enough to cause the observed aftermath.

However, another case was considered which combined the two. More specifically, it was assumed that a flank movement caused pressure relief underneath the magma chamber, which led to the subsequent explosion.

Simulating this series of events yielded results similar to the ones reported by eyewitnesses, which had been recorded and compiled in a published report in the 19^th century.