Floyd W. McCoy

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

In the Late Bronze Age (LBA) a massive eruption destroyed an island (ancient Thera/Santorini) and devastated a region (S. Aegean area) - the catastrophe changed the course of western civilization.  My new data suggests the eruption to have been much bigger than thought, perhaps a much as 2.5 times larger (based upon field work on Anaphi island, and at Palaikastro). Regional devastation came from tsunami, earthquakes, and tephra fallout (ash fell from the Black Sea to the Nile delta).  Local devastation came from the complete reshaping of Thera's landscape. Work at present is focused on computer-generated graphics of the eruption sequence, the pre-eruption island and its topography, the generation of tsunami, and more.  This research has involved geologic mapping, geophysical surveys onshore and offshore, remote sensing work, a program to core lakes on Crete to decipher the paleo-climatic history for the LBA, in addition to extensive laboratory work at the U. Hawaii, ASCSA and the East Crete Study Center.  It has resulted in 8 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, one book (Special Paper of the Geological Society of America), numerous lectures, mention in several magazine articles, and has been the subject of 5 television specials.

 

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Dr. Floyd W. McCoy

Associate Professor in Geology and Oceanography

University of Hawaii - Windward College

Kaneohe, Hawaii  96744

 

Senior Researcher

Associated Scientists at Woods Hole

Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543

 

 

 

 

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