ABSTRACT

This project will enhance both the scientific and technical aspects of a 3D multichannel seismic survey to be carried out by other investigators at 9 degrees 50 minutes north latitude on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) in 2007 and provides a timely, innovative approach for preparing for such 3D studies. Researchers will develop new design criteria for the EPR seismic survey, which will be the first 3D seismic study to be conducted by the R/V Langseth. This research project will ensure that the collected seismic data will not only image the original targets of the funded cruise, but also constrain the nature of the Moho transition, where the principal investigator's recent research has shown unexpected indications of magma that is part of a complex, deep plumbing system beneath some mid-ocean ridges. This project will also undertake several technical tasks associated with optimizing bin infill during the seismic surveying, conducting preliminary processing of data in nearly real-time aboard the ship, and completing state-of-the-art post-cruise data analyses that were not planned at the time the original cruise was funded. Broader impacts of the project include enhancement of a funded RIDGE2000 study at the EPR and establishment of protocols to guide the user community in designing academic 3D seismic surveys on the R/V Langseth. In addition, the project will support a young scientist and a graduate student in the poorly populated discipline of marine reflection seismology at mid-ocean ridges.

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