Spatio-temporal evolution of the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field, Aegean Sea

Abstract

The Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo volcanic field (CSKVF) in the Aegean Sea is one of the most active volcano-tectonic lineaments in Europe. Santorini has been an iconic site in volcanology and archaeology since the 19th century, and the onshore volcanic products of Santorini are one of the best-studied volcanic sequences worldwide. However, little is known about the chronology of volcanic activity of the adjacent submarine Kolumbo volcano, and even less is known about the Christiana volcanic island. In this study, we exploit a dense array of high-resolution marine seismic reflection profiles to link the marine stratigraphy to onshore volcanic sequences and present the first consistent chronological framework for the CSKVF, enabling a detailed reconstruction of the evolution of the volcanic rift system in time and space. We identify four main phases of volcanic activity, which initiated in the Pliocene with the formation of the Christiana volcano (phase 1). The formation of the current southwest-northeast–trending rift system (phase 2) was associated with the evolution of two distinct volcanic centers, the newly discovered Poseidon center and the early Kolumbo volcano. Phase 3 saw a period of widespread volcanic activity throughout the entire rift. The ongoing phase 4 is confined to the Santorini caldera and Kolumbo volcano. Our study highlights the fundamental tectonic control on magma emplacement and shows that the CSKVF evolved from a volcanic field with local centers that matured only recently to form the vast Santorini edifice.

Magma chamber detected beneath an arc volcano with high-resolution velocity images

“…The eruption recurrence interval at Kolumbo is unknown, as only the last of five recognised eruptive phases has been dated with confidence (Nomikou et al, 2016). A sequence stratigraphic analysis indicates that all these phases occurred during the last 1.2 Ma, suggesting an average recurrence interval of ~240 ka (Preine et al, 2021). A lower bound of 10 ka was proposed based on seismic reflection data and the tectonic history of the region (Hübscher et al, 2015).…”

Heralds of a Future Eruption? Swarms of Microseismicity beneath the submarine Kolumbo Volcano indicate Opening of near-vertical Fractures exploited by ascending Melts

“…Hübscher et al, 2015;Nomikou et al, 2014). Reflection seismic profiles crossing the Kolumbo edifice revealed five circular, stacked, cone-shaped, units, with the uppermost one deposited during the 1650 AD eruption (C. Hübscher et al, 2015;Preine et al, 2021). Precise dating is only available for the latest eruption of Kolumbo.…”

“…Precise dating is only available for the latest eruption of Kolumbo. However, a recently established regional stratigraphic framework of the entire CSKVF region estimates that the deposits of older eruptions have approximate ages of 0.35 Ma, 0.45 Ma, 0.9 Ma and older than 1.0 Ma (Preine et al, 2021).…”

The Hidden Giant: How a rift pulse triggered a cascade of sector collapses and voluminous secondary mass‐transport events in the early evolution of Santorini

“…Examples from the Hellenic Volcanic Arc in the densely populated Aegean Sea are sparse despite the known occurrence of large‐scale volcanic centres and enhanced seismicity, which make this arc one of the major risk factors for the eastern Mediterranean (Sørensen et al, 2012). Preine et al (2022) reported a large mass‐transport deposit within the Christiana‐Santorini‐Kolumbo volcanic field (CSKVF) in the central Aegean Sea. Chrono‐stratigraphic relationships indicate that the deposit was emplaced during the early evolution of Santorini, approximately 0.7 Myrs ago (Preine et al, 2022).…”

“…Preine et al (2022) reported a large mass‐transport deposit within the Christiana‐Santorini‐Kolumbo volcanic field (CSKVF) in the central Aegean Sea. Chrono‐stratigraphic relationships indicate that the deposit was emplaced during the early evolution of Santorini, approximately 0.7 Myrs ago (Preine et al, 2022). However, the distribution, volume, trigger mechanisms and emplacement dynamics of the deposit have not been investigated so far.…”