The volcanic complex of Santorini includes the volcanoes of the Old and New Kameni as well as an undersea volcano, Kouloumpos, which is located 3.5 miles northeast of the island.
According to surveys the volcano has been active 12 times in the last 400,000 years. The most recent volcanic eruption occurred around 1650 BC when the island was still called Strogili and was still united with Thirassia and Aspronisi. Due to high seismic activity at that time, the residents had probably abandoned the area before the eruption and this justifies the fact that no human skeleton was ever found under the ash. The eruption was very big and it is estimated that 90 billion tons of molten rock were produced in about 6 days. Volcanic ash covered the island and traveled around the world. It arrived at Greenland and caused a volcanic winter, reducing the Earth’s average temperature by 1-2 degrees of Celsius. Furthermore, the explosion caused a huge tidal wave which is probably responsible for the destruction of the Minoan civilization of Crete.
One thousand and five hundred years later, a milder volcanic activity created the undersea volcano tops of Old and New Kameni. The last eruption occurred in 1950 and since then the volcano has been inactive. Nowadays there are seven craters on Nea Kameni and one on Old Kameni. You can walk in the craters or swim in the hot springs.
There are daily boat trips to the volcano, the hot springs and Thirassia. The boats leave from Gialos (old port), Athinio (new port) and Amoudi at Oia. Walking in the crater is difficult, especially in the summer, because the trail is steep in several places and the soil is unstable. However, the magnificent view of the Caldera and the villages of Santorini will compensate your effort.
