With its romantic sunsets, dazzling ocean views, and whitewashed buildings clinging to rocky clifftops, the Greek island of Santorini (aka Thera or Thira) is the very picture of an idyll in the Aegean. But this tranquil scene belies the island"s explosive geologic history, for this is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. The Minoan eruption, about 3,600 years ago, caused the center of the Thera volcano to collapse into the ocean, leaving Santorini a jagged, crescent-shaped moon atop the sea.
Santorini through the clouds
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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National Garden Week begins today
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Over and under the delta
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Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
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World Honey Bee Day
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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands
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St. Paul Winter Carnival
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What s better than a smile?
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Shadows on the solstice
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Lake Peipus, Estonia
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Too awesome to be a planet
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Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
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Jaguar in the Pantanal wetlands
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Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
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Ansel Adams birthday
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Kendwa village, Zanzibar, Tanzania
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Batten down the hatches
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Rock formations at Sedona, Arizona
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Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon
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International Polar Bear Day
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New Year s Day
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Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia
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Leap day
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The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
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A cozy winter village
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World Water Day
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World Philosophy Day
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Naxos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece
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A step toward freedom
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The eloquence of elephants
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

