In
the late Bronze Age, about 1500 to 1600 BC, a huge explosive eruption
occurred on the Greek island of Thera (Santorini) in the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea. The eruption buried the ancient town of Akrotiri
and led to collapse of the island’s central part to form
a submarine caldera. The majority of erupted material was in the
form of pyroclastic flows, that advanced quickly into the ocean
around the island. Most of the volcanic deposits from this eruption
are therefore now on the sea floor around Thera and have yet to
be studied in detail.
In April to June 2006 a team of oceanographers from the United
States and Greece will conduct studies of the sea floor around
Thera and inside its flooded caldera. This is a collaborative
effort between the Graduate School of Oceanography of the University
of Rhode Island, and the Institute of Oceanography of the Hellenic
Centre for Marine Research in Greece. The goals of this expedition
are to determine the distribution and thickness of the submarine
pyroclastic deposits from the eruption, and to contribute to an
understanding of the evolution of this important volcano. Two
cruises will be launched to survey, study and sample the sea floor,
involving the use of two research vessels, a remotely operated
vehicle (ROV) and a variety of oceanographic research tools:
Cruise
-1: The nature and distribution of the volcanic sediment
layers from the Bronze Age eruption will be studied during a cruise
of the Greek vessel R/V Aegaeo from 26. April to 8. May 2006.
The thickness of the layers will be determined using an air-gun
system.
Cruise-2: The surface morphology of the flanks and caldera
floor of Thera volcano, and Kolumbo volcano to the north will
be determined during a cruise of R/V Endeavor from 30. May to
9. June 2006, using a side-scan system. Special features of the
sea floor inside the caldera, and in the submarine crater of Kolumbo
volcano will also be studied.
Expedition
Participants
University of Rhode Island, USA (URI):
Haraldur Sigurdsson (Co-Chief Scientist
– Marine Geology, Volcanologist)
Steven Carey (Marine Geologist –
Volcanologist)
Julie Fero (Marine Geologist – graduate student)
David Kratzmann (Marine Geologist – graduate student)
Katherine Croff (Archaeological Oceanographer)
Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration, Greece (IGME):
Constantine Perissoratis (Marine Geologists)
Georges Vougioukalakis (Sedimentologist)
Chrysanthi Ioakim (Sedimentologist)
Hellenic
Centre for Marine Research, Greece, (HCMR):
Matina Alexandri ( Co-Chief scientist -
Geophysics)
Vasilis Likousis Vasilis (Marine Geologist –Sedimentologist)
Grigoris Rousakis (Marine Geologist –Sedimentologist)
Evi Nomikou (Geologist – Seabed mapping team)
Dionysis Ballas (Electrical Engineer - Seabed mapping team)
Thanassis Misaridis (Electrical/Computer Engineer- Seabed mapping
team)
Giannis Pampidis (Technician – Seismic acquisition units)
Prokopis (Air-Gun Technician)
Aggelos Malios (Electrical Engineer – ROV operator)
Insitute for Exploration (IFE)
Robert
D. Ballard (Marine Geologist)
Chris Roman (ocean engineeering)
Jim Newman (marine engineering and technology)
Dwight Coleman (geophysics)
Todd Gregory (ROV technician)
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