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Geography of Santorini
Santorini island is located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 120 km
north from Crete. The closest islands are Ios to the north ,Anafi to the
east and Milos in the north-west. The ring-shaped islands of Thira,
Thirasia and Aspronisi form the edge of a caldera flooded by the sea,
are situated in the center of the islands of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.
Of the 150 high and 350 m caldera wall is the slope of Thira and
Thirasia gently outward. Only in the southeast of Fira, the Profitis
Ilias Massif interrupts with 567 meters the highest point of the
archipelago, these gentle drop. In many places, a wide black lava forms
the transition to the sea. Elsewhere, the Bimsdecke extends to the sea,
and then forms cliffs. In Thira, with the exception of Profitis Ilias
mountain and on Thirasia deep gullies in the soft shape Bimsdecke caused
by winter rains, the topography.
The maximum extent of the crescent-shaped main island of Thira is the
Cape Mavropetra in the north to Cape Exomitis in
the south 17.4 kilometres. The width varies from 1.2 kilometres in the
north to about 6 km to the south. About 70% of the island is covered by
some massive pumice layers. In the north, these layers of older
volcanoes in the South are interrupted by older lava dome. Each
accounted for 15% of lava and cinders, and the metamorphic basement.
The caldera of Santorini has an area of approximately 84.5 kilometers ²,
the extension is in the north-south direction, about 11 km west-east
direction about 8 km. The absolute height in the north of Fira from the
seabed about 700 m. The caldera floor is composed of four sub-basins.
The northeastern part of basin reaches a depth of nearly 400 meters and
was probably formed by the processes of the Minoan eruption.
SATELLITE MAP OF SANTORINI
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