JOIDES RESOLUTION

Science in Search of Earth's Secrets

What is the JOIDES Resolution?

The JOIDES Resolution (JR) is a research vessel that drills into the ocean floor to collect and study core samples. Scientists use data from the JR to better understand climate change, geology and Earth’s history. It is a part of the International Ocean Discovery Program and is funded by the National Science Foundation.

HELLENIC ARC VOLCANIC FIELD

11 December 2022 – 10 February 2023

About 3,650 years ago, the Greek island of Santorini exploded in a huge volcanic eruption. This eruption was so large that it buried a town on Santorini and may have impacted the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 80 miles to the south. There have been more than 100 volcanic eruptions in this area over the past 360,000 years.

Scientists on IODP Expedition 398 will drill into sediments around and on top of the volcanic system that’s deep under the seafloor beneath Santorini and the nearby Christiana and Kolumbo volcanoes. They are hoping to answer how and why these volcanoes erupt and to reconstruct the history of volcanism in this area. These answers could help us better understand other explosive volcanoes around the world that are a threat to the millions of people who live near them.