Greece is on alert for the possible eruption of Kolumbo, an active submarine volcano that lies deep in the Aegean Sea.
The volcano, about eight kilometers from the coast of the iconic Greek island of Santorini, would be accumulating a huge amount of magma according to research published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems.
The previously unobserved large body of mobile magma was identified thanks to a novel technique that produces high-resolution images of seismic wave properties. Specifically, they used a method called full waveform inversion, which uses artificially produced seismic waves to create a high-resolution image that shows how stiff or soft the rock is underground.
The results suggest that although the eruption is not imminent, the volcano poses a serious threat. If it erupts, it could generate a huge tsunami and launch tons of pyroclastic material into the atmosphere.
According to records, the last time Kolumbo erupted, in 1650, killed 70 people, but population growth and tourism on Santorini mean the impact of an equivalent eruption today could be much greater.
In addition, the gigantic detonation also caused a tsunami that caused damage to coastal areas more than 150 kilometers away, with waves of varying degrees. Since then, geologists and seismologists say, the Kolumbo caldera has been accumulating magma at a worrying rate, estimated to be around 4 million cubic meters each year. This means that the pressure inside the caldera would be reaching critical levels similar to those of 1650.
Despite the alert, echoed by international and local media, the volcanologists responsible for the investigation cannot say and do not know exactly when this eruption will take place. The study only explains the existence of a huge chamber and the similarity of the point where the volcano is now with the eruption recorded hundreds of years ago. By analyzing the speed at which seismic waves move under the ocean floor, experts have been able to calculate the amount of accumulated magma and the possibility of it rising to the surface.
Another group of researchers aboard the Joides Resolution research vessel is drilling into sediments around Kolumbo to reconstruct its eruptive history over the past few million years, The Guardian reported. Among other things, they hope to understand the links between earthquakes and volcanoes in this region, and to investigate the influence of sea level change on the size and frequency of eruptions.
The Kolumbo is submerged at a depth of about 487 meters, with its top about 109 meters from the surface of the Aegean Sea. This is a problem, as the effects of the explosion could be devastating. It is believed that, if it erupts, the effects could be just as destructive as those of the Hunga-Tonga volcano, which caused enormous devastation in January 2022.
Although the researchers do not want to alarm the population, and recommend installing sensors in the area that allow monitoring of the volcano in the coming weeks, they do believe that they will be able to alert or predict the detonation of Kolumbo a few hours in advance, allowing the evacuation of the lines coast and nearby towns.
“We need better data on what is really under these volcanoes,” Kajetan Chrapkiewicz, a geophysicist at Imperial College London and lead author of the study, explained in a news release.
“These monitoring systems and continuous analysis would allow us to have a better estimate of the eruption. With these systems, we would know about the possibility of an eruption a few days before it happens, and people would be able to evacuate and stay safe,” he added.
