Scientific Program M67 2b

The focuses of leg M 67/2b are investiga-tions carried out by ROV QUEST. With the help of the ROV the asphalt flows will be mapped and sampled in great detail in order to reveal how asphalt volcanoes originate and what relevance these structures have in the light of their geological setting.The leg 67/2 takes place in the frame of the Research Center Ocean Margins (RCOM) at the University Bremen (www.rcom-bremen.de), which is funded by the German science foundation (DFG). One focus of the research in the RCOM is to study processes related to fluid seepage at the seafloor (Project E). The objective is to study different fluid seepage systems in different tectonic settings. In an interdisciplinary approach these systems may elucidate what the relevant processes are, that lead to the wide variety of systems with seepage of hydrocar-bon-rich fluids at the seafloor

The working area of cruise SO 174-2 (thick lines) in the Gulf of Mexico with multibeam track lines. The working area of cruise M 67/2 (thin lines) is larger in order to carry out additional investigations at the Campeche and Sigsbee Knolls.