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Institute of Earth Sciences of Paris

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    <p>The WESTMEDFLUX-2 oceanographic cruise is part of the project that studies the presence of thermal anomalies in the ocean-continent transitions of the Western Mediterranean. The proposed cruise follows WESTMEDFLUX that took place in 2016 and that resulted in mapping regional trends of thermicity in in the Gulf of Lion, offshore Baleares and Sardinia. It also pointed out to the existence of several local heat flow anomalies in particular on the South Balearic slope and deep basin. In the deep oceanic basin, strong anomalies seem to be merely associated to salt diapiric structures, but on the rifted continent and transition zone, other heat sink and sources are suggested (e.g., bottom water currents, slope instabilities and focused fluid migrations). In order to better understand the source of these anomalies and the link with the crustal nature and structuring of the margin, we propose on the South-Balearic margin additional close-spaced heat flow measurement, sediment coring and dredging sites. Sediment cores will be used for turbidite and contourite studies and for geochemical analysis of pore fluids. The dredging operations aim an estimation of age and nature of volcanic rock material from sea mounts.</p>

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    <p>The MARLBORO cruise project aimed to study Post-Messinian tectonic evolution in the South Alboran basin (Morocco). The presence of sediment formations, especially contourites (sediments deposited or reworked by marine bottom currents) and instabilities, deposited since the end of the Messinian (approx. 5.33 Ma), provide us with top rate sedimentary markers to recreate the tectonic evolution well. Moreover, the region is affected by strong quakes and by slope instabilities which cause concern. Although active accidents have been identified and recently mapped on the Andalusia margin, no such detailed studies have been conducted yet on the Moroccan margin. The Xauen/Tofino and Alboran ridges off Morocco, in the south of the Alboran Sea, were chosen for the study zone since they show both past and current signs of strong tectonic deformation, underwater landslides and activity of bottom currents whose contourite type deposits can provide an excellent stratigraphic marker. The cruise&apos;s objective was the imaging of post-Messinian structures using medium resolution reflection seismics. The cruise (7 days in the zone) made it possible to acquire about 1,100 km of reflection seismic surveys along the 15 profiles perpendicular to the ridges, and 3 profiles parallel to the ridges, in order to monitor the lateral and longitudinal evolution of contourites and of Mass Transport Deposits (MTDs), as well as the geometric relationships existing between these objects and active tectonic structures. The MARLBORO cruise is related to the French TerMex (Mediterranean margin) and Actions Marges (Améditer) programmes as well as to Spanish national Contouriber and SAGAS programmes and the international Topomed programme.</p>