ABSTRACT

K-Ar ages have been measured for calc-alkaline lavas from the Aegean volcanic arc in order to determine formation ages of the volcanic area of the islands. The samples from islands lying on the north side of the volcanic arc (e.g., Aegina, Kos) show older ages (2∼3.6 Ma) than those from the islands lying on the south side of the volcanic arc (e.g., Methana, Nisyros, Santorini) showing younger ages up to 1.2 Ma. These ages seem to be in agreement with the model that the volcanic front has migrated to the south. The migration velocity has been estimated to be about 1 cm/yr. in this study, which is comparable to, but slightly less than previously reported values.