Submarine eruption and sedimentation processes in the rear Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc

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This research will improve our knowledge on how underwater volcanoes erupt, how their products are transported under water, and what type of deposits are generated on the sea floor. The IODP Expedition 350 will drill/core hundreds of metres of volcaniclastic sediments in a submerged portion of the Izu-Bonin arc (south of Japan), where sediment accumulated over millions of years, giving an unprecedented record of submarine volcanism and evolution of the arc. Facies analysis of volcanic textures, detailed stratigraphy, and clast chemistry will be used in this project. This study will help determining whether the deposits where partly erupted subaerially, and whether they are linked to direct input from submarine eruptions, or if they are result of re-sedimentation of previous deposits. Such information is necessary for worldwide hazard assessment to vessels and coastal populations, and for a better understanding of submarine volcanoes in general.