This picture was taken during the FOCUSX1 cruise. We can see the deep-sea research vessel Pourquoi Pas?, which can undertake hydrographic surveys and other missions to scan the water column and map the sea floor. The vessel can deploy two heavy submersibles simultaneously, and collect samples by coring or dredging.

 

The objective of the FOCUS (Fiber Optic Cable Use for Seafloor studies of earthquake hazard and deformation) project, funded by the ERC (European Research Council), is to study the adaptation possibilities of submarine telecommunication cables, which could prove to be a tremendous asset in large-scale seismological monitoring. The 5-year project aims to detect small (1 to 2 cm) displacements across the recently mapped North Alfeo Fault, located 20km from Catania, a 1-million-inhabitants urban area in Sicily. The studies rely on the Catania  EMSO (European Multidisciplinary water-column and Seafloor Observatory) station, located in 2100 m depth and connected to land by a 25 km long electro-optical cable.