1610 BC Eruption of Santorini
Santorini in Greece erupted in 1610 BC with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 7. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Santorini, Greece, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- 1610 BC
- Volcano
- Santorini, shield volcano
- Country
- Greece
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 7, colossal (eruption column over 25 km)
- Killed by
- Waves or tsunami
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Earthquake
- Yes: the earthquake with it
- Location
- 36.404° N, 25.396° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1610 B.C. Deaths probably occurred here, and, as a resuIt of tsunamis, in ports and seaside villages on Crete and elsewhere. However, no direct evidence of deaths has been found. (reference #9675)
1380 B.C. The notorious gigantic eruption of the Santorian volcano on Thera Island was accompanied by a strong earthquake and a colossal tsunami about 1400 BC and was the cause of the destruction of the Crete-Mycenaean (Minoan) civilization of the Bronze Age. (reference #416)
Dates of eruption as listed in literature:
YearReference #late 17th Century B.C24061650 B.C.1412, 23391630 B.C.111641638 B.C.23801627-1600 B.C29911610 B.C.96751410 B.C.41391380 B.C.416, 2130
Other significant eruptions of Santorini
More
Every eruption in 1610 BCThe 1600s BCSantoriniEarthquakes near Santorini
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 1351.