Scheduled Cruises in 2005

Summary of a cruise on margins research (D.051)

Location :   Eastern Black Sea

Research Ship and Cruise Identifier :   R/V Iskatel

Sails :   17th February 2005 from : Trabzon, Turkey

Docks :   11th March 2005 from : Trabzon, Turkey

Duration :   22 days

Principal Scientist/Investigator :   Timothy A. Minshull

Laboratory :   School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, (SOC)

Other investigators :

E-mail contact for further information :   

Web Site :

Scientific objectives :   Wide-angle seismic refraction data were acquired in the eastern Black Sea to delineate the crustal structure of the rifted margins and to determine the affinity (continental v. oceanic) of thin crust in the centre of the basin. This information will be used to understand the formation of the eastern Black Sea and to gain generic insights into continental extension and rifting. During the 22-day cruise, refraction data were collected along four main profiles in the eastern Black Sea. Two profiles begin on the Turkish margin and continue into the basin center. One profile is oriented NW-SE and traverses across the thinnest crust in the centre of the basin. The fourth profile crosses the Mid-Black Sea High, a buried basement ridge that separates the eastern and western basins. Seismic data were also recorded by land seismometers positioned at the ends of three of the profiles onshore.