Investigating fluid-rock interaction at the backstop to the Mediterranean Ridge Accretionary Complex South of Crete (SO278)
The greater part of expedition SO278 will be carried out in the Hellenic arc, the so-called Mediterranean ridge (Figs. 1-2) South of Crete in Greece. There, fluid discharge areas are explored using hydro-acoustic methods, measured with high resolution and examined with several core devices (gravity corer, multicorer, minicorer) and temperature measurements. The smaller part of the investigations is carried out on mud volcanoes in the Calabrian accretionary complex in Italy.
In addition to the station work in the Hellenic arc, we are planning to perform station work in the Calabrian arc within the EEZ of Italy. The goal is to better understand dynamic processes of Sartori and Cetus mud volcanoes. Here, the mass balances of the chimney structures, as well as the temporal / spatial distributions of mud flows and their interaction of geological, physical and chemical processes are in the focus of research. The evaluations within the DFG project so far have shown that the data collection and sampling would provide significant new insights into the understanding of both mud volcanoes.
Link to expedition page
