Undersea seismometer installed to monitor activity at Santorini volcano

July 25, 2012 – GREECE – The new seismic-detecting mechanism that observes the activity of the volcano in Santorini, Caldera, was finally placed at the bottom of the sea. The scientific community now says it will be ready to warn authorities in case there is any alarming activity. The new mechanism is the cutting edge of technology of its kind. The procedure to place the mechanism at the bottom of the sea took ten days and the team of scientists of the project hailed from Greece, France and Spain. The mechanism is placed in the north part of Caldera, where the deepest spot is 389m. The mechanism was set up with the use of two special ships owned by the Greek Center of Sea Research. The mechanism is equipped with instruments that can assess the structure of the bottom of the sea and measure its temperature. That way scientists can have a better look at the volcano’s activity. Dimitris Sakellariou, the head of the program, said that the first signs show that the volcano has very limited activity. He also pointed out that although the program should have started a long time ago; there is a high risk that due to the economic crisis its survival will be an issue. –Greek Reporter