Final answer:
The eruption of Thera resulted in a 150ft deep layer of pumice, similar to the ash and pumice that buried Pompeii. Pumice is a frothy, low-density extrusive igneous rock which can float on water, and its depth at Thera signifies the scale of the volcanic event.
Step-by-step explanation:
The eruption of Thera, also known as the Minoan eruption, is comparable to the well-known disaster at Pompeii caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Like Pompeii, the ancient city of Akrotiri on the island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) was buried in ash and pumice after the volcano’s catastrophic eruption in the mid-second millennium BCE. The pumice layers from the Thera eruption are significant as they provide a depth gauge and chronological marker for the event. Pumice is a type of extrusive igneous rock, known for being vesicular and for its ability to float in water due to its low density.
The city of Akrotiri was covered in pumice and ash, preserving it for millennia in a manner similar to the preservation of Pompeii. This natural preservation provides valuable insights into the lives of the Minoans, much as the site of Pompeii offered a glimpse into Roman life during the Pax Romana. The depth of the pumice layer, 150 feet deep in the case of Thera, is indicative of the magnitude of the eruption and its impact on the local environment and civilization.