Collaborative Research: Geophysical, Geochemical and Geochronological Site Survey of the Ninetyeast Ridge - Testing Hotspot Hypotheses

私人投资公司建议对印度洋(查戈斯-拉卡迪夫海脊和尼尼特贝里奇海脊)和大西洋(沃尔维斯海脊)的热点遗迹进行IODP钻探探险，以补充太平洋夏威夷-帝王链(ODP197段)的古地磁结果。这些钻井巡航将提供数据，以重新检查这些海山链的热点模型，并测试它们是否相对于自旋轴或地幔参考架是固定的。为了为拟议的钻探计划收集现场勘测数据，并测试第九酵母山脊的热点假设，私人投资者建议收集和分析地球物理数据(水深、磁力和地震)，并从5000公里长的山脊沿线的9个地点挖掘样本。拟议的项目基于一次为期46天的巡航，将收集5个地点的多波束测深、磁力和地震数据，以及这些地点和其他4个地点的挖泥船。这项研究既是现场调查(即，它提供了为钻探做准备所需的数据)，也是一个独立的项目，以检验九酵母岭的热点假说，这是地球上主要的热点轨迹之一。这项研究涉及研究生和本科生，涉及国际合作，涉及热点的固定，目前非常感兴趣。

The PIs have proposed IODP drilling expeditions to hotspot traces in the Indian Ocean (Chagos-Laccadive and Ninetyeast ridges) and Atlantic (Walvis Ridge) to complement paleomagnetic results from the Hawaiian-Emperor chain in the Pacific (ODP Leg 197). These drilling cruises will provide data for re-examining hotspot models for these seamount chains as well as testing whether or not they are fixed relative to the spin axis or mantle reference frames. To collect site survey data for the proposed drilling program and to test the hotspot hypothesis for Ninetyeast Ridge, the PIs propose the collection and analysis of geophysical data (bathymetry, magnetic and seismic) and dredge samples from nine sites along the 5000-km long ridge. The proposed project is based upon a 46-day cruise that will collect multibeam bathymetry, magnetic, and seismic data at 5 sites as well as dredges at these sites and 4 others. The study is both a site survey (i.e., it provides the required data to prepare for drilling) as well as a stand-alone project to examine the hotspot hypothesis for Ninetyeast Ridge, which is one of the Earths primary hotspot tracks. The study involves graduate and undergraduate students, involves international collaboration, and bears on the fixity of hotspots, of great current interest.