Geological expeditions to the popular Greek island of Santorini between 2022 and 2023 revealed evidence of an ancient cataclysm unknown to science until now.

Roughly 500,000 years ago, the volcanic island of Santorini in the Mediterranean erupted with enough force to push underwater currents more than 40 miles, making it one of the largest volcanic eruptions in this part of the world, according to an article in the journal Nature. The explosion was so large it threw debris across three neighboring islands. And it turns out that Santorini is far more active than previously assumed.

One of the most well-known eruptions at Santorini took place in around 1600 B.C., which was big enough to contribute to the downfall of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete (also in the Mediterranean). But another occurred in 726 A.D. that is believed to be comparable to the Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington state in 1980.

It all happened in 536 ADhttps://t.co/6jbvTRON5X

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 13, 2023

“The history of Santorini is being written again,” expedition researcher Paraskekvi Nomikou told Nature, noting how no one understood the sheer scale of these eruptions until now.

While scientists seem confident another major eruption won’t happen any time soon, the same can’t be said for other volcanoes — including supervolcanoes — throughout Europe. (RELATED: World’s Newest Island Rises From The Ocean)

Volcanic activity around Mount Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, has become increasingly more explosive year after year. Thanks to its regular activity, it is a particularly dangerous threat. But the same can’t be said for the Campi Flegrei caldera in Southern Italy, which has been slowly waking up over the last seven decades or so. Should this beast erupt, it could destroy Europe, North Africa and the western Middle East in a single day.