The 1650 AD Plinian eruption of Kolumbo submarine volcano (Aegean Sea, Greece) generated a destructive tsunami. In this paper we propose a source mechanism of this poorly documented tsunami using both geological investigations and numerical simulations.

The most probable source is a 250 m high water surface displacement generated by underwater explosion with an energy of ~ 2 × 10¹⁶ J at water depths between 20 and 150 m.

Caldera subsidence is not an efficient tsunami source mechanism as short (and probably unrealistic) collapse durations (< 5 minutes) are needed.

Pyroclastic flows cannot be discarded, but the required flux (10⁶ to 10⁷ m³ · s^− 1) is exceptionally high compared to the magnitude of the eruption (VEI 5).

This study also provides scenarios for tsunamis generated by future eruptions of Kolumbo volcano.