RRS Charles Darwin CD23
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Charles Darwin (74AB) |
| Cruise identifier | CD23 |
| Cruise period | 1987-05-13 — 1987-06-11 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Victoria, Seychelles |
| Port of return | Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The cruise consisted of an underway geophysical survey of part of the Central Indian Ocean, specifically to study the structure and evolution of the ridge-ridge-ridge (RRR) triple junction marking the conjunction of the African, Indian and Antarctica lithospheric plates. The plates meet at a point close to 25 degrees 30 mins South 70 degrees east, and the survey was planned so as to cover a reconnaissance box approximately 200 km square centred on this point, in addition to a survey west and south from this area to follow one of the component spreading axes.
Additional surveys were conducted on transit from the Seychelles to the main area, covering the Central Indian Ridge (CIR) and its pattern of offsets and fracture zones, over the triple junction trace in the Indian plate, and finally from the main survey areas to Mauritius. |
| Chief scientist | Lindsay M Parson (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.54 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Indian Ocean |
| Specific | Indian Ocean/ Triple Junction |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| In-situ seafloor measurement/sampling | Description: gravimetric properties of the sea floor |
| Single-beam echosounding | Quantity: track kilometres = 2200 |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: track kilometres = 2200 |
| Long/short range side scan sonar | Quantity: track kilometres = 2000 |
| Single channel seismic reflection | Quantity: track kilometres = 1000 |
| Gravity measurements | Quantity: track kilometres = 4074.4 |
| Magnetic measurements | Quantity: track kilometres = 4074.4 |
