Cruise Report : RV "SONNE" Cruise SO82 1992

• Main Author: -
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Leibniz-Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde 1993
• Subjects: Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Reykjanes; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.12754/msr-1993-0005; http://doi.io-warnemuende.de/10.12754/msr-1993-0005

Meereswissenschaftliche Berichte No 5 1993 - Marine Science Reports No 5 1993 : Since October 1, 1991, the GEOMAR Marine Research Center Kiel, the Institute of Baltic Sea Research Warnemuende and the geological department of the University of Greifswald perform investigations of sedimentation processes of in the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR), with special emphasis on the central part of the Reykjanes Ridge. This joint research project is supported by the "Federal Minister for Research and Technology". It is closely connected to the international Mid Ocean Ridge - research programs "Ridge" - USA, "Bridge" - UK and the new European "InterRidge" activity. At the beginning of 1992 the possibility came up of using the research vessel "Sonne" for marine geological and geophysical investigations within the framework of the MAR project. RV "Sonne", which is one of the most advanced German research vessels, offers good working conditions especially for the investigation of the unregular sea bottom structures and the small sediment ponds of the MOR regions. The research cruise "Sonne - 82" (SO82) was planned to start in Balboa (Panama) on September 29, and to finish in Bremerhaven (Germany) on October 31, 1992. Because of the long transfer from Balboa to the area of interest the cruise was divided in two parts. The task of the first part (S082A - transfer from Balboa, Panama, September, 29 to Reykjavik, Iceland, October, 16) was to carry out a methodic - geophysical program with the aim to adapt advanced acoustic subbottom profiling systems of very high resolution to the acoustically difficult conditions in the MAR area. In order to solve this task a new joint research project "Sedimentation in the Reykjanes ridge: sediment echosounding" was established under the leadership of the University of Rostock (Prof. Wendt). This program is supported by the "Federal Minister for Research and Technology". As a result of this program the advanced acoustic systems required for the complicated tasks to be solved during part SO82B would become available. Furthermore, using the multibeam echosounder Hydrosweep, the central part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 53°N and 61°N was planned to be mapped in order to achieve information on its tectonic history and subdivision in area of different developments. The second part (S082B) was to be focused on the investigation of sedimentation processes and its spatial and temporal variability in the central part of the Reykjanes Ridge near 59°N. The methods used include acoustic profiling, sediment sampling and complex (sedimentological, geochemical, physical, biological) investigations of recovered samples. The results will be used to build a model of the genesis of the distributive province "Reykjanes Ridge".