Late last night and early this morning the science team used Hercules ROV to explore the floor of the Thera caldera. Part of this large bowl-shaped structure was formed by collapse during the Minoan eruption 3600 years ago.
Since the Minoan eruption, two new islands, Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni have grown to the surface through a series of volcanic eruptions. The most recent activity took place in 1950. The dives explored some of the lava flows that had been emplaced underwater around the margins of the islands (see figure).
Fresh samples of the flows were collected and should provide valuable information about the composition and evolution of magmas since the large Minoan eruption.

The caldera dives were used to get the live TV broadcast from Immersion Presents all setup and ready to go for the first show later today.

Figure caption: Sampling of an underwater lava flow from Nea Kameni island in the Thera caldera with the Hercules ROV.

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