I'm looking for information on the volcano located on the a Greek Island named Nisyros. Nisyros is located in the island chain called the "Dodecanese". If it helps, the volcano on Nisyros is somehow related to the volcano on the more popular island of Santorini. Any and all info you could provide would be most appreciated. Info on this island is hard to find. Thank you very much.

rocky Manny Konstantinidis

Dear Manny,

The island of Nisyros is a stratovolcano capped by volcanic domes. It is built of lavas, tuffs, and other volcanic ejecta of prehistoric eruptions. A great depression is located just east of the center of the island. The west rim of this depression is formed by St. Elias (2,290 feet, 698 m above sea level), the highest point on the island. St. John mountain is on the east side of the depression. The depression is steep sided and its bottom is about 300 feet (100 m) above sea level. Five small explosion sinks are along the south part (Rammos) of the depression. It is suspected that the volcano erupted in 1422. It definitely erupted in 1871 and 1873 and most recently in 1888. These eruptions were explosive and generated pyroclastic flows. The 1871 eruption caused some damage. Fumaroles were observed at Rammos in 1956.

If you wish, I can send you some more information (a simple geologic map and some references). I need your mailing address.

Thanks for a fun question. If you go to Nisyros please send VolcanoWorld a picture.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota

Sources of Information:
Georgalas, G.C., 1962, Catalogue of active volcanoes of the world, including solfatara fields, Part XII: Greece. International Volcanological Association.

Simkin, T., and Siebert, L., 1994, Volcanoes of the World: Geoscience Press, Tucson, Arizona, 349 p. 

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