Could Sea Level Changes Ignite Volcanic Eruptions?

The Greek island of Santorini resides in the Aegean region of the Mediterranean Sea atop the Hellenic subduction zone. That’s where the African tectonic plate is being pulled beneath the continent of Europe. Rather than a single island, Santorini is an archipelago of several islands that form a rough circle because they are the tips of a submerged volcanic caldera. Santorini emitted one of the largest eruptions in recorded human history 3,600 years ago. That eruption evaporated the Minoan civilization on the nearby island of Crete. Geologists believe that Santorini’s volcanic activity began two million years ago and it has erupted with violent force many times since then. Now, a team of researchers led by Christopher Satow, reports in a recent issue of the journal Nature Geoscience that Santorini’s eruptions appear to be linked to changes in sea level. The most violent eruptions occur during periods of especially low sea level of 130 feet. Per computer simulations run by Satow, when sea level drops, the Earth’s crust above the Santorini magma chamber splits and splinters as the overlying pressure of seawater eases. According to the data, all but three out of 211 well-dated eruptions have coincided with low sea levels.