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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
1, 1, 2, 3: It s Fibonacci Day!
-
Let the games (finally) begin!
-
Celebrating World Water Day
-
World Rivers Day
-
Beware the Ides of March
-
World Elephant Day
-
International Tiger Day
-
World Children s Day
-
A visit to Limerick on Limerick Day
-
National Mountain Climbing Day
-
International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
-
A dying breed of tree thrives in an American park
-
Land ho in New Zealand 250 years ago
-
Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
-
Bay Marker Lookout, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia
-
Giving Tuesday
-
Autumn comes to the Porcupines
-
Bow Bridge in Central Park, New York City
-
Traveling warblers
-
Mother s Day
-
Illuminated Uluru
-
The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
-
The island fox’s incredible comeback
-
In the path of the pronghorn
-
The Kelpies statues in Falkirk, Scotland
-
Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
-
‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’
-
Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
-
Remembering Krakatoa
-
Beavers Bend