The ancient sculpted wall
The cliffs look like a bas-relief sculpted by a tireless artist. Naturally carved by the wind and sea, Vlychada’s white cliffs border its black sands, on the southern shore of Thera (Santorini), Greece. Both are of volcanic origin. The material originates from the Late Bronze Age eruption around 1600 BCE, which also buried the prosperous Akrotiri settlement. This massive plinian eruption led to the deposition of a layer dozen of meters thick of tephra that consolidated into the tuff cliffs we observe.
Taken in
October
2016
Submitted on 15 February 2019
Featured on GeoLog, the official blog of the European Geosciences Union
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- Europe (3221)
- Southern Europe (1381)
- Greece (293)
- Exact location (25.4315 E, 36.3396 N)
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Credit: Cedric Gillmann (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)
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