With its romantic sunsets, dazzling ocean views, and whitewashed buildings clinging to rocky clifftops, the Greek island of Santorini (aka Thera or Thira) is the very picture of an idyll in the Aegean. But this tranquil scene belies the island"s explosive geologic history, for this is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. The Minoan eruption, about 3,600 years ago, caused the center of the Thera volcano to collapse into the ocean, leaving Santorini a jagged, crescent-shaped moon atop the sea.
Santorini through the clouds
Today in History
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Earth seen from the International Space Station
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Watch your step
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Asteroid Day
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Put your flippers in the air…
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Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California
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Ruins of a royal temple
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Splashes of color for Watercolor Month
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European hedgehog in Sussex, England
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Chilling out in the Arctic
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Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

