Terrawatch: Santorini braces as explosive volcano stirs

Activity detected in Kolumbo, just off Greek island, which is likely to trigger tsunami when it next erupts

It has been quiet for nearly 400 years, but Kolumbo, an underwater volcano just off the Greek island of Santorini, is not asleep. A previously undetected magma chamber is gradually filling with melt, prompting researchers to recommend real-time monitoring of the volcano.

The last time Kolumbo erupted, in 1650, it killed 70 people, but population growth and tourism on Santorini mean the impact of an equivalent eruption today could be far greater.