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22 July, 2008

Volcanoes can erupt suddenly and without warning, unleashing the most destructive forces on earth. More than 3500 years ago, the Greek island of Santorini experienced one of the worst volcanic disasters in human history. It was one of the largest eruptions in the last 100,000 years. Today Santorini is a striking geological formation attracting more than a million tourists every year. This circular archipelago of five islands is located 150 miles southeast of mainland Greece in the Aegean Sea. While Thera was obliterated in explosions of poison ash and lava, it's believed the coast of Crete was wiped out by the resulting tsunami. And perhaps the biggest loss from this mega disaster: the destruction of an exceptional civilization that could have changed the course of history. The Minoan people lived in one of the most advanced and innovative civilizations of their era. But for all of their refinement and modernity, the Minoans inhabiting these islands could never have imagined or prepared for the cataclysm awaiting their society. The annihilation of Minoan culture was so fantastically catastrophic, that the event may have planted the seed for one of history's most enduring myths. The cataclysmic event in 1645 BC destroyed a civilization and spawned a legend. Many believe it was the inspiration for Plato's myth of Atlantis. In his famous dialogues, Plato, tells of a utopian society living on an oceanic island he calls Atlantis. "In a single day and night of misfortune" the island vanishes under the sea, "Sunk by angry gods, the culture disappears forever without a trace." Will history repeat itself? The same geological forces that ripped apart the ancient world still roil beneath the surface today. The island and the entire eastern Mediterranean remain under threat from another volcano submerged off the coast, Kolumbo. A mere five miles northeast of the island lies Kolumbo ... An underwater volcano. For Santorini, and the surrounding region, this hidden giant is a clear and present danger. Could the next mega disaster be heating up beneath the Aegean Sea? Are we on the verge of another Atlantis Apocalypse?

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