Scientists at the University of Arizona in the United States have determined the exact time of the Minoan eruption - the catastrophic eruption of the Santorini volcano, which destroyed the island of Thira and was more powerful than the explosion of Krakatoa. According to researchers, this happened between 1600 and 1525 BC. This is reported by Science Alert.
The Minoan eruption is attributed to the ultra-Plinian type. On the scale of volcanic activity (VEI), it was two points higher than the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and St. Helens in 1980 AD, and by one point the explosion of Pinatubo in 1991 AD and Krakatoa in 1883. The volcano ejected 40-80 cubic kilometers of rock, and the eruptive column reached a height of 38-39 kilometers. The power of the explosion was comparable to the power of 200 thousand atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. It is believed that the eruption caused the decline of the Cretan-Minoan civilization.
Earlier studies have shown that the Minoan eruption occurred between 1650 and 1500 BC. In the new work, scientists analyzed 285 samples of long-lived trees growing in North America and Ireland. Since a strong volcanic eruption causes a drop in the transparency of the atmosphere throughout the Earth and a global cooling, the tree annual rings become thinner. With the help of radiocarbon analysis, it is possible to determine the age of the rings.
Scientists have found four very narrow rings in samples from different parts of the globe, whose age reached about 3600 years. In their opinion, the reason for this is the Minoan eruption.