The Volcano

The Volcano

Scientists (geochemists, experts in dating, ice core analysis, etc.) reported that the traces of a volcanic eruption that had occurred in 1628 BC. and previously thought to be Thera, actually came from a colossal eruption at the Anyaksak II volcano in Alaska.

The so-called “Minoan” catastrophic eruption of Thera spewed out huge amounts of ash, which, among other things, covered the town of Akrotiri on the island. As with powerful volcanic eruptions, the ash and sulfur dioxide it contained is estimated to have reached the stratosphere and traveled to distant parts of the Earth, “blocking” solar radiation, lowering global temperatures and causing climate change, which has become noticeable and reflected in the trees and the reduced growth of their rings.

At the same time, sulfur and ash reached the poles of the planet and were preserved in the “archive” of the ice, which can be detected in today’s analysis of ice cores. The ash from each eruption has a unique geochemical signature so it can be associated with a specific volcanic source.

The scientists combined data from tree rings with evidence from Antarctic and Greenland ice cores, creating a comprehensive “record” of all powerful volcanic eruptions on Earth between 1680-1500 BC, the period of the Thera eruption. In this way they excluded 1628 BC. as a possible date, correlating this particular year with the Aniaksak II eruption, but identified three other dates (1611 BC, 1562-1555 BC, and 1538 BC) as the most likely for the “Minoan” eruption.

Two previous studies by foreign scientists had found “anomalies” in tree rings in California and Ireland that corresponded to the years 1627 BC. and 1628 BC, which were then associated with the Thera eruption, but the new study shows that they ultimately related to the Alaskan eruption.

Pearson said that the archaeological findings so far “point” to a date for the Thera eruption closer to 1500 BC, while radio dating closer to 1600 BC. “I personally support an intermediate date. But we are really close to having the final solution to this problem,” he said.