Synchronous Pumice Mantle Found on Santorini Volcano

It is generally accepted that the vent of the 3.6 ka Minoan eruption was situated in the water-filled Santorini caldera prior to the Minoan eruption. One should therefore expect to find huge quantities of pumice and ash on the inner side of the caldera walls, but there is only a relatively small amount preserved. An unexpected discovery of remnants of a synchronous pumice mantle of the Minoan eruption appears to solve this enigma. A lengthy period of erosion and the intensive quarrying of pumice for the construction of the Suez Canal (1859 to 1869) led to the removal of an enormous amount of material and information for generations of geologists. The synchronous pumice mantle covered the whole caldera wall from rim to sea level. Archaeological finds under the pumice mantle show that the caldera wall was accessible and inhabited in the Bronze Age. Furthermore, this discovery documents that only one Minoan eruption took place and that the so-called “Lower pumice” does not exist on Santorini.