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Polyvotis
In Greek mythology, Polyvotis was one of the Giants who fought against the gods during the Battle of the Giants. Polyvotis was persecuted by the god Poseidon to Kos on the orders of Zeus. There the god took a part of the island and threw it on Polyvotis. In this way the island of Nisyros was formed
The Volcano
The volcano on the island of Nisyros is the youngest one in Greece. It is an active volcano as are the ones at Methana, on Milos Island and on Santorini Island. The oldest rock formations found around the entire island date back 160,000 years, while the youngest ones (prehistoric) 15,000 years.
The volcano is part of the Hellenic Arc, a curved line of volcanic centers which are caused by a subduction zone, and stretches from the Saronic Gulf opposite Athens via the island groups of Milos, Santorini, and Nisyros-Yali-Cos to the Bodrum peninsula at the extreme SW of Turkey.
The last eruption of Nisyros were phreatic explosions in 1881-87. They left a moonscape with colorful craters and very active fumaroles.
Walk in an active crater
The Nisyros volcano is the most active remain of the Cos caldera that exploded aprox. 150.000 years ago. Nisyros, Yali, Strongyli, Pyrgoussa, Pahia and Kefalos (at Cos) are the remains of a zone that is considered to be still active. A Magma chamber below Nisyros is only 3-4 km deep and still rising up. Since 2000 when the Nisyros research program of the GEOWARN-Team started, the temperatures of the fumaroles have been changing from 98 C to 103 C in 2004. There was also a high tectonic (earthquakes) activity in the last years and so a program to prevent volcanic hazards is still ongoing
