in East Mediterranean
Santorini was just another conical, volcanic island, with a Minoan town on the south shore. Then came one of the most violent known eruptions of its type, causing the centre of the island to collapse into the now-empty caldera. The sea rushed in to fill it, leaving only the present, crescent-shaped island above water. The accompanying earthquake triggered a tsunami which accelerated the demise of Minoan Crete.
