Pat gets an ash-covered no-prize for bringing this NY Times article (free reg, blah blah) about recent developments in the study of the ancient volcanic explosion that ocurred on Thera, now called Santorini.

For those who don't know, Thera/Santorini (they changed the name, God knows when) is in the Agean sea, off the coast of the Greek mainland. This comparatively small island was nearly obliterated in a massive explosion approximately 3500 years ago. It is widely seen as the real origin of the Atlantis myth, and at first was thought to also have been the cause of the decline of the Minoan civilization. Later dating of the explosion called this into question, but this new data seems to be bringing the two events back in line.