VOLCANIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT AT SANTORINI VOLCANO: A REVIEW AND A SYNTHESIS IN THE LIGHT OF THE 2011-2012 SANTORINI UNREST

Abstract

In 2011 and the first half of 2012 Santorini experienced its first seismo-volcanic unrest since 1950, as detected by the permanently installed monitoring networks and a large number of campaign measurements. The unrest was characterized by small magnitude but intense seismic activity, significant uplift and inflation deformation rates, and changes of water temperature as well as of fluid and soil gases. While the unrest ended in the spring of 2012, the world-wide interest led to the performance of several studies, in an attempt to assess the possible scenarios for the unrest evolution. Within this framework, we summarize the most important findings regarding the volcanic hazard assessment of the broader Santorini volcanic complex, as well as the constraints that need to be taken into account for a possible future volcanic crisis management.