The volcanic activity of Thera volcano is the result of the movement of large crustal plates in the Mediterranean region. The volcano is located in the Hellenic volcanic arc where the convergence of the smaller Aegean plate and the large African plate to south produces a subduction zone (shown in red on the map). Mediterranean seafloor is currently sinking beneath southern Greece and the island of Crete resulting in the formation of the Hellenic volcanic arc. The rate at which the African plate is descending beneath the Aegean plate is about 3.5 cm/year.
			Subduction is the process where oceanic crust sinks below either other oceanic crust or more buoyant continental crust. These are some of the most geologically active areas of the planet where both earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common. Magmas that are generated near the interface between the descending and overiding plate rise to the surface due to buoyancy to feed volcanic eruptions along a narrow arc above.