From Hazard to Relief: Lessons from Santorini and Southern France Tsunami Alerts.
Researchers from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and other institutions studied the seafloor around Santorini to understand the genesis of the Minoan tsunami that devastated the coast of Crete 3,600 years ago. They found undulating seafloor bedforms that were formed by pyroclastic flows and instabilities of the volcanic flanks. The researchers estimate that two cubic kilometers of material moved down the volcanic flanks during the Minoan eruption, generating a huge tsunami wave. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding flank instabilities for tsunami hazard assessment at active volcanoes.