RRS Discovery D160
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D160 |
| Cruise period | 1986-06-30 — 1986-07-25 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain |
| Port of return | Falmouth, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The main purpose of this cruise was to obtain samples of sediment and sediment pore waters for geochemical research.
The primary objectives were: 1. To sample the sediments in the 10 x 10km abyssal plain area centred on 31 17'N, 25 24'W to obtain solid phase and pore water material for geochemical characterisation of the sediment column. 2. To investigate possible pore water advection in the area proximal to the 100km2 area by sampling where the abyssal plain laps on to local relief. 3. To sample an area of the plain where the uppermost turbidite is missing for further investigation of the oxidation front phenomenon previously identified. 4. To undertake a number of activities related to non-geochemical programmes: piston coring, bottom photography, sediment pore pressure work and a sediment trap recovery/redeployment. 5. To sample the small manganese nodule field close northeast of the area in (1). 6. To sample the sediments of the Porcupine Abyssal Plain for further investigation of the geochemical processes responsible for formation of a metal-rich band at the Holocene/glacial boundary. 7. To undertake a seawater collection for the Standard Seawater Service on a "ship of opportunity" basis. |
| Chief scientist | John Thomson (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.68 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Madeira & Porcupine Abyssal Plain |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of cores = 24 Description: for geochemical analyses |
| Bottom photography | Quantity: number of deployments = 2 |
| In-situ seafloor measurement/sampling | Quantity: number of measurements = 3 Description: engineering properties |
