Resources

RRS Shackleton S8/79

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RRS Shackleton (74SF)
Cruise identifierS8/79
Cruise period1979-08-31 — 1979-09-30
StatusCompleted
Port of departureBarry, United Kingdom
Port of returnGibraltar, Gibraltar
PurposeResearch
Objectives1) Deployment of 5 OBS to record microearthquakes on the axis of the Mid-atlantic ridge. This would be the first full scale deployment of the MK-II OBS designed to record continously for upto one month. On this cruise deployments of 2-3 weeks were planned.

2) Observation of water temperature close to the sea floor in the median valley with the IOS Temperature Telemetering Pinger (TTP), in a search for temperature anomalies associated with geothermal springs.

3) Coring sediments in an area south of King's Trough centerd approximately at 42N, 22W.

4) Development of a prototype Bouyant Programmed Pinger on the Biscay Abbysal Plain just off the western approaches of the English Channel.

5) Testing a new ocean bottom hydrophone developed at the department of Geodesy and Geophysics, Cambridge University. Two Cambridge personnel participated in the cruise to carry out this work.

6) Pressure testing the Blacknet OBS in Peake Deep (3142 ucf, 5964 cm) in preperation for the deep deployments planned for the LADLE experiment in early 1980 on Discovery cruise 107.

7) Should time permit, a bathymetric survey would be conducted in the vicinity of 49N, 34W to provide data for the new GEBCO chart in an area of sparse coverage.

8) Bathymetric, magnetic and gravity data would be aquired continuously on passage. However, no shipboard computer or automatic data logging was avaliable on this cruise.
Chief scientistTim J G Francis (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory)
Cruise reportRRS Shackleton S8/79 cruise report shackleton8_79.pdf (0.32 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W)
Track chartsRRS Shackleton S8/79 cruise track — trk2606.html
Measurements 
Physical oceanography 
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurementsQuantity: 27
Description: discrete temp.measurements.Cont.temp.profiler from surf.to seafloor
Geology and geophysics 
Core - soft bottomQuantity: number of cores = 8
In-situ seafloor measurement/samplingQuantity: 1
Description: long term mooring to test the bearing str.of deep ocean sediments
Single-beam echosoundingQuantity: track kilometres = 5741
Single channel seismic reflectionQuantity: 7
Description: ocean bottom seismometers
Gravity measurementsQuantity: track kilometres = 5741.2
Magnetic measurementsQuantity: track kilometres = 5741.2