First Speleothem Evidence of the Hiera Eruption (197 BC), Santorini, Greece

Speleothems are useful in detecting past geoenvironmental events. Variations in trace element concentrations may constitute a diagnostic of volcanic eruptions, enabling both dating and environmental impact assessment. This work attempts to detect possible ‘signatures’ of past volcanic eruptions in speleothems from Zoodochos Pigi cave on Santorini. Higher-than-usual concentrations of elements and minerals (e.g. barium and monazite respectively)...