A SeaMARC II Investigation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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This project is to support a field program to study the tectonics of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) from 24 to 29 degrees North latitude. The principal tool is SeaMARC II, and these data will be complemented by gravity and magnetics data. Continuous coverage of the axial discontinuities and the morphotectonic variations along the rift valley over a distance of at least 100 km will be obtained. The main objective is to understand the variations in volcanic and tectonic activity along a slow spreading center, the nature of small axial discontinuities that offset the MAR, and the mantle processes that lead to segmentation of the MAR. The proposed research represents the first use of SeaMARC II in the Atlantic. This is an important study because it will allow a comparison between the morphology and tectonics of slow and fast spreading ridges using the SeaMARC II tool.