Fortunately for us, the U.S. Navy declassified Geosat satellite data last year, following the end of the Cold War. These data told us the general shape of the sea floor and the location of the submarine volcanoes. The seismic equipment was much more high-tech. This was done by generating sound waves that traveled through the water, into the sea floor, and back out again, returning to the sea surface. The sound waves are generated by 20 airguns firing simultaneously every 22 seconds, for days on end.
People get so used to the rhythm that they wake up in their bunks when the shots stop.
The airguns are started up by firing one gun, then two, then four, increasing slowly to warn fish and other marine life to move away. The oil keeps the streamer from sinking and protects the electronics from corrosion by the seawater. The Austral region seismic experiment worked well, after a lot of sweat and blood from the scientists and crew. When we get the data sorted out, we hope to understand more about the volcanoes of Polynesia and the patterns of the island chains. The eruption of Kilauea stopped for several days, beginning on May 29.