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1 Igneous Petrology Laboratory, Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4, Canada russell{at}perseus.geology.ubc.ca
2 Environmental Science Division, Institute of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
The Late Bronze Age (LBA) eruption of Santorini volcano deposited ash over most of the eastern Mediterranean, distributed thick deposits of pyroclastic material over the local landscape, and instantly buried the Minoan-aged living surface of these islands. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) studies of the LBA volcanic deposits on Thera have allowed us to establish the thickness of individual pyroclastic units, to trace units laterally, and to establish facies variations in areas where the deposits are unexposed. GPR data are presented for two sites: Site A is a survey over LBA volcanic deposits exposed in the Phira quarry, immediately south of the town of Phira, and Site B is a 550 m survey of the LBA deposits underlying the Akrotiri peninsula immediately north and south of the Akrotiri archaeological excavation. These traverses show that GPR can define structures as deep as 18–20 m (velocity 0.1 m ns–1) and can accurately map the thicknesses of the LBA volcanic deposits from the caldera wall to Thera’s southern coast. Furthermore, our best datasets suggest that the Phase 1 fall deposits can be differentiated from the Phase 2–4 deposits, and that GPR can clearly image the interface between the volcanic deposits and the underlying LBA living surface. Future GPR surveys could be used to delineate palaeotopographic lows and valleys associated with LBA streams or drainages or, used in combination with geological mapping, could refine the position and nature of LBA shorelines.
