The French American Mid–Ocean Undersea Study began in 1971 as part of the IDOE. It was based on the general acceptance of the plate tectonic theory and investigated the possibility of underwater hot springs. The site selected was along the Mid–Atlantic Ridge near the Azores, and was selected after detection of particularly strong magnetic stripes in that region. During FAMOUS over 100,000 photographs were taken and nearly 1,300 kg of geological samples were collected by Alvin and two French submersibles. Water samples were also collected and a data logger was developed to automatically record depth, altitude, heading and time.