RRS Charles Darwin CD144
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Charles Darwin (74AB) |
| Cruise identifier | CD144 |
| Cruise period | 2003-01-13 — 2003-02-22 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Muscat, Oman |
| Port of return | Victoria, Seychelles |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The primary aim of the project was to collect 2D controlled source, deep seismic data at near-normal and wide-angles of incidence along a transect across the entire reconstructed Seychelles-Laxmi Ridge plate margins. 32 Ocean bottom seismometers/hydrophones, a 2.4 km long 96-channel streamer and 14-gun array were used. Supplementary gravity, magnetic and bathymetry was also collected. Following the cruise, the data will be processed and inverted to determine the seismic velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle. This will enable the strain and magmatism distribution across the whole rift to be determined. |
| Chief scientist | Jennifer S Collier (Imperial College London Department of Earth Science and Engineering) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Arabian Sea |
| Specific | Arabian Sea, North Seychelles |
| Track charts |  (0.02 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Bathythermograph | Quantity: number of profiles = 8 Description: Sippican T5 (max depth 1830 m) XBTs |
| Bathythermograph | Quantity: number of profiles = 4 Description: Sippican T7 (max depth 780 m) XBTs |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of profiles = 2 Description: Sound velocity probes |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Single-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 35 Description: 12 kHz and 3.5 kHz Precision echo-sounding |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 38 Description: EM12 swathbathymetry |
| Multichannel seismic reflection | Quantity: track kilometres = 2400 Description: 96-channel, MCS |
| Seismic refraction | Quantity: track kilometres = 1200 Description: OBS/OBH/Disposable sonobuoys |
| Gravity measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 38 Description: Gravity (LaCoste and Romberg marine gravimeter) |
| Magnetic measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 38 Description: Magnetics (proton procession magnetometer) |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Dredge | 3° 34' 0" S 56° 12' 0" E — Deep water dredge in 3200 m of water on the western edge of a 400 m high seamount. Hard rocks recovered. |
| Dredge | 3° 7' 0" S 56° 13' 0" E — Deep water dredge in 3900 m of water on the south-western edge of a 600 m high elongate seamount. Hard rocks recovered. |
