Kolumbo Volcano: Tsunami Risk for Santorini?

Professor of Geophysics at AUTH, Kostas Papazachos, analyzes scenarios for managing the tsunami risk in Santorini in the event of activation of the underwater Kolumbo volcano, located 6 km northeast of the island.

According to simulations, the ports and coastal areas inside the caldera do not face immediate danger. The eastern and southeastern beaches are more vulnerable, but there is a small reaction time.

K. Papazachos relies on a study published in the Bulletin of Volcanology, which examines the risk of tsunami generation from underwater landslides in Kolumbo, as well as from the eruption of 1650 AD.

The scenarios show that a tsunami will reach Santorini quickly, from 2 to 3 minutes on the northeastern coasts to 10 minutes on the southeastern coasts. In the worst-case scenario of caldera collapse, waves may exceed 10 meters in height on the northeastern coasts and 5 meters on the eastern and southeastern coasts.

K. Papazachos suggests making Santorini "tsunami safe", delimiting safe movement areas in the event of a strong earthquake, as the warning time is limited.

The professor reassures that the scenarios are not intended to frighten, but to prepare for an extreme phenomenon, contributing to the updating of the management of volcanic risk.