The valley of the Stavrolongos volcano

Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos cladera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos cladera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr

If you hike from Methana town into the mountains, almost in the center of the peninsula, the valley of the Stavrolongos volcano is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Greece. Not only the rich nature makes the valley attractive, but also its geological history. There is a discussion among geologists, whether the valley is the remnant of a much larger caldera? From the morphology the valley resembles the small, young lava dome in the middle, very close to the caldera of e.g. Santorini. The valley is surrounded by several lava domes, such as the Mokrisa lava dome. The weathering products of the pyroclastic flows, ashes and rocks create a fertile soil, that is used for wine growing at the valley and its slopes.

How to visualize the volcano during its activity, can be seen in the photos of Dr. Tom Pfeiffer and his Kelut photos from Indonesia. A link to his photos you can see here!.

 

(Aerial) photographs of the Stavrolongos caldera
Tobias Schorr signed the hiking paths already in 1996 and created this sign of Stavrolongos volcano. (c) Tobias Schorr
Tobias Schorr signed the hiking paths already in 1996 and created this sign of Stavrolongos volcano. (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in June 2009 (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in June 2009 (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in April 2015. (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in April 2015. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos caldera in June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos caldera in June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial view of the Stavrolongos crater with the small lava dome in its middle (like Kelut!). June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial view of the Stavrolongos crater with the small lava dome in its middle (like Kelut!). June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos caldera in June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the Stavrolongos caldera in June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the little lava dome in the center of the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
Aerial photograph of the little lava dome in the center of the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the northern volcanoes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the northern volcanoes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the northern volcanoes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the northern volcanoes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the southern lava domes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the southern lava domes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the southern lava domes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
An aerial view towards the southern lava domes of Methana, overflying the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
One of the best aerial photographs of the morning light over the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
One of the best aerial photographs of the morning light over the Stavrolongos caldera. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
The rising sun over the Saronic gulf with the volcanic island of Aegina and the Stavrolongos crater. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
The rising sun over the Saronic gulf with the volcanic island of Aegina and the Stavrolongos crater. June 2016. (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in the winter 1991. (c) Tobias Schorr
The Stavrolongos crater in the winter 1991. (c) Tobias Schorr
The valley of Stavrolongos in June 1996. (c) Tobias Schorr
The valley of Stavrolongos in June 1996. (c) Tobias Schorr
An KODAK infrared slide of the Stavrolongos caldera in April 1987. (c) Tobias Schorr
An KODAK infrared slide of the Stavrolongos caldera in April 1987. (c) Tobias Schorr
Geological map
The geological map by the Swiss university (c) ETH-Zürich
The geological map by the Swiss university (c) ETH-Zürich
The volcano Kelut
The active lava dome Kelut in 2007 (c) Tom Pfeiffer.
The active lava dome Kelut in 2007 (c) Tom Pfeiffer.

The volcanologist Dr. Tom Pfeiffer took great photos  of the active lava dome and volcano Kelut in 2007. This volcano and its caldera fits perfect to the Stavrolongos caldera volcano. It is a great sample how to imagine Stavrolongos volcano erupting!On Tom Pfeiffer´s website www.VolcanoDiscovery.com you can find more fotos of Kelut and other active volcanoes!
 

 

Ancient remains
Antique perforated stone that served as an abutment for a wine press. It is located on the west side of the smaller, island-like lava dome in the center of the valley. (C) Tobias Schorr
Antique perforated stone that served as an abutment for a wine press. It is located on the west side of the smaller, island-like lava dome in the center of the valley. (C) Tobias Schorr
Sources:

The effect of changing regional tectonics on an arc volcano:
Methana, Greece
Georgia Pe-Piper a,⁎, David J.W. Piperb
a) Department of Geology, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3C3, Canada
b) Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2, Canada

 

Link to the Website with Infos

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 260 (2013) 146–163