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RRS James Cook JC045 (JC046)

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RRS James Cook (740H)
Cruise identifierJC045 (JC046)
Cruise period2010-04-24 — 2010-05-12
StatusCompleted
Port of departureMontego Bay, Jamaica
Port of returnSt. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesThe first objective was to provide the key site survey information (3-d seismic data and/or additional 2-d seismic crossing lines) for drill sites CARI-02, CARI-03 and CARI-04 located offshore from the island of Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles for IODP Proposal 681.

The second objective was to produce an unusually detailed survey of submarine volcanic debris avalanche deposits resulting from large scale slope failure on (or around) Montserrat, in order to understand the origin and emplacement dynamics of these landslides. The data collected include the first 3-d seismic data set for such submarine volcanic debris avalanches, as well as a TOBI side scan survey, 2-d seismic reflection profiling with airgun and boomer sources, multibeam bathymetry, and sub-bottom (CHIRP) profiler data.

An additional objective was to better understand how volcanic material from the ongoing eruption of the Soufriére Hills volcano (1995 to present) is redistributed around Montserrat. Marine sediments often provide a more complete record of eruption chronologies than sediments on land. This continues previous work that has linked near surface marine layers with eruptions that have been well monitored on land. This includes a comprehensive collection of shallow sediment cores from around the island, whose geometry is further constrained by sub-bottom profiler data collected during this cruise.

Multibeam bathymetry and gravimetric data were collected throughout the cruise, with the multibeam data including the off-shelf deposits from a volcanic dome collapse in February 2010.
Chief scientistPeter J Talling (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton)
ProjectUKIODP (NERC-funded)
Cruise reportRRS James Cook JC045 (JC046) cruise report jc045-046.pdf (2.95 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralCaribbean Sea
SpecificOffshore SE Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles - in the Bouillant
Track chartsRRS James Cook JC045 (JC046) cruise track — jc045-046trk.pdf (0.61 MB) 
Measurements 
Geology and geophysics 
Single-beam echosoundingQuantity: track kilometres = 1430
Description: Sub-bottom Profiler (SBP 120)
Multi-beam echosoundingQuantity: track kilometres = 1606
Description: Multibeam Bathymetry
Long/short range side scan sonarQuantity: track kilometres = 159
Description: TOBI (27-30 kHz) sidescan sonar
Multichannel seismic reflectionQuantity: track kilometres = 418
Description: 2-d seismic lines with 2-GI airgun source
Multichannel seismic reflectionQuantity: track kilometres = 176
Description: 2-d seismic data lines with Boomer source
Multichannel seismic reflectionQuantity: track kilometres = 722
Description: 3-d seismic survey with 2-GI airgun source
Gravity measurementsQuantity: activity duration in days = 19
Description: Gravity data