RRS Discovery D103
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D103 |
| Cruise period | 1979-07-09 — 1979-07-25 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Djibouti, Djibouti |
| Port of return | Suez, Egypt |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To conduct a tectonic study of the Gulf of Aden fracture zones, especially the Alula Fartak trench. This was intended to form the major part of the Ph.D. thesis of one of the cruise participants, D. Tamsett.
2. To investigate any changes in tectonic and volcanic patterns along the Gulf of Aden spreading axis in the vicinity of the Gulf of Tadjourah. 3. To conduct a reconnaissance survey with Gloria in the Red Sea. It was hoped in particular that Gloria would produce new data on the tectonics of the salt deposits there, and the nature of the Pliocene rifting which produced the axial trough. 4. To obtain cores from the Atlantis II Deep area of the Red Sea for geochemical studies at Imperial College. |
| Chief scientist | Roger C Searle (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.81 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Red Sea Gulf of Aden |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Meteorology | |
| Routine standard measurements | Description: 10 minutes readings logged automatically |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of cores = 10 |
| Single-beam echosounding | Quantity: 380 |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: track kilometres = 5428 |
| Long/short range side scan sonar | Quantity: track kilometres = 4778 |
| Single channel seismic reflection | Quantity: track kilometres = 3824 |
| Gravity measurements | Quantity: track kilometres = 5063 |
| Magnetic measurements | Quantity: track kilometres = 3973 |
