Episodic Accretion on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Interpretation and Sampling of Crustal Sections from the Kane Transform Fault

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Understanding the composition and chemistry of the oceanic crust has been a long term goal of the marine geosciences. Such information provides important constraints on the processes that transfer mantle material to the crust, that lead to the formation of the igneous crust, and that subsequently modify the chemistry of the crust and control the composition of seawater. Such an understanding, however, requires a means to sample crustal rock and a way to relate individual crustal layers to over- and underlying strata. Although deep crustal drilling is one such technique, deep crustal holes are expensive and provide limited areal sampling of crustal material. Recently there has been renewed interest in studying faulted crustal exposures as a way to sample a stratigraphic succession of crustal rocks by submersible/dredging or by a series of shallow drill holes. The present award will undertake a side-scan sonar survey of exposed crustal rocks in the Kane Transform Fault in the north Atlantic. Objectives of the project are to map the continuity of crustal layers, to sample the stratigraphic succession of igneous rocks exposed along the transform, and to examine the faulting pattern exposed along major scarps. These data will be used to determine both the history of crustal accretion and subsequent deformation. Additionally, these data will provide the needed survey for subsequent submersible research in the area. The project is a cooperative study between scientists at the University of Washington, Duke University and the University of Paris.