Under this funding, the PIs propose to carry out geophysical and photographic surveys of the submarine features of Santorini volcano using side-scan sonar, single channel air-gun seismics, sparker lines, and an ROV. The objectives will be to refine the seismic stratigraphy around the volcano and relate it to sedimentary processes, identify current depositional and erosional processes on the flank of Santorini and adjacent basins, search for the formation of mineral deposits in the submarine caldera, attempt to identify the Minoan coast line and configuration of the island prior to the 1628 BC eruption and caldera collapse, sample volcanic products of Kolumbo submarine volcano and examine the growth processes of Kolumbo. The work will be conducted as a 7-day add-on to a survey cruise already planned in the area between Crete and Santorini by Dr. Robert Ballard of the University of Rhode Island. The study involves a number of important broader impacts including education (although graduate student time is limited), volcanic hazards, international cooperation, involvement with the Jason Program of Ballard, and others.
