Aspronisi (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Ασπρονήσι) is an uninhabited island lying within the

Santorini caldera Santorini caldera is a large, mostly submerged caldera, located in the southern Aegean Sea, 120 kilometers north of Crete in Greece. Visible above water is the circular Santorini island group, consisting of Santorini (classic Greek Thera), the ma ...

. The island was originally formed by the massive

Minoan eruption The Minoan eruption was a catastrophic Types of volcanic eruptions, volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean Islands, Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) circa 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan civilization, Minoan settlement at ...

in the

2nd millennium BC The 2nd millennium BC spanned the years 2000 BC to 1001 BC. In the Ancient Near East, it marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. The Ancient Near Eastern cultures are well within the historical era: The first half of the mil ...

, after which it was gradually built up by successive volcanic activity. The name Aspronisi, which means 'White Island' in

, is derived from the island being partially composed of white

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

.Schönrock, Dirk / Fohrer Eberhard: ''Santorini''. Michael Müller Verlag, 3., überarbeitete und aktualisierte Auflage, Erlangen 2006, . p. 242

Formation

Aspronisi was formed through the gradual volcanic activity in the

, which itself is composed of four distinct

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

es. The island was formed along with the current Santorini caldera during a massive eruption in the 2nd millennium BC that expelled 14 cubic miles (60 km³ ) of dense rock. Aspronisi was briefly a

submarine volcano Submarine volcanoes are underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. Many submarine volcanoes are located near areas of tectonic plate formation, known as mid-ocean ridges. The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges ...

before the force of the eruption pushed the islet above the surface, after which dense layers of pumice and

tephra Tephra is fragmental material produced by a volcanic eruption regardless of composition, fragment size, or emplacement mechanism. Volcanologists also refer to airborne fragments as pyroclasts. Once clasts have fallen to the ground, they rem ...

ejected from the volcano covered the island. These deposits eventually solidified into the pale white deposits that give Aspronisi its moniker of the "White Isle". The base of the island is composed of black lava rock, and the island is connected to the larger islands of

Therasia Therasia, also known as Thirasía ( el, Θηρασία), is an island in the volcanic island group of Santorini in the Greek Cyclades. It lies north-west of Nea Kameni, a small island formed in recent centuries by volcanic activity and thus mark ...

and

Santorini Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...

by the submerged outer edge of the Santorini caldera.

Geography

The island has an area of 0.14 square kilometers. Its dimensions are 650 meters long by 200 meters wide. The island is dominated by steep cliffs, making landings difficult, though two pebble beaches and a small anchorage exist on the islet. The top of the island takes the form of a flat

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

Habitation

Aspronisi is currently uninhabited, though sparse plant life can be found on the island. The island is a nesting ground for some species of migratory birds. Santorini Caldera Landsat

References

{{Reflist Islands of the South Aegean Cyclades Uninhabited islands of Greece Landforms of Thira (regional unit)