The ASTARTE-BAL cruise, organised and led by CRG Marine Geosciences of the University of Barcelona (UB, partner 10), took place from 11th to 21st July 2014 onboard R/V Francisco de P. Navarro in southern Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). The scientific team was composed by six researchers from the University of Barcelona and a researcher from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography. R/V Francisco de P. Navarro belongs to the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). A. Calafat, D. Amblas and G. Lastras served as chief scientists.

The objectives of the cruise were (1) to evaluate the presence of tsunami impact evidences in the seafloor in front of the coastal strip between Colònia Sant Jordi and Cala Santanyí, which serves as “Colònia Sant Jordi Test Site” within ASTARTE project, between the coastline and the isobath of 50 m; and (2) to extend such evaluation to deeper areas and the region surrounding Cabrera islands. In order to achieve these objectives, the survey included swath bathymetry mapping and corresponding SV (sound velocity) profiles, sub-bottom seismic reflection profiles and grab sampling.

Objectives were completely fulfilled. Total distance navigated during the cruise was 1,658 nautical miles, mapping in great detail more than 420 km² of the seafloor between Colònia Sant Jordi and Cala Santanyí, including Cabrera islands. Geophysical and sedimentological data will allow characterizing the submerged geomorphology of Colònia Sant Jordi test site, which is exposed to earthquake-generated tsunamis from North Africa. The newly acquired high-resolution bathymetric dataset will be integrated with high-resolution topographic data along the coast, thus providing the basis to improve the accuracy of tsunami propagation models together with vulnerability and risk analysis.