SARAS
Type | Oceanographic cruise |
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Ship | Ramon Margalef |
Ship owner | Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia |
Dates | 10/08/2012 - 19/08/2012 |
Chief scientist(s) | D'ACREMONT Elia |
INSTITUT DES SCIENCES DE LA TERRE DE PARIS - UMR 7193 4 place Jussieu 75005 Paris +33 (0)1 44 27 52 73 |
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Objective | The Alboran Basin is located in the Western Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco and is surrounded by a densely-populated coastal area. The basin formed by Oligo-Miocene extension while tectonic inversion occurred since the Tortonian due to the African-European collision. Recent geophysical studies in the basin image active tectonics that include extensional as well as compressional and strike slip structures. The presence of numerous slope failures seems to reflect a recent and important seismic activity. The aim of this Eurofleet project (FP7/2007-2013) was to use a multi-parameter oceanographic geological and geophysical data to better understand the origin as well as the recent geodynamic of the basin, including perform a first assessment of the marine geohazards that may affect the surrounding coastal areas. Active structures on the Andalusia margin have been identified by recent oceanographic cruises while tectonic structures on the Moroccan margin remained largely unknown. The Alboran Moroccan Margin that includes the Xauen/Tofiño Banks, the Alboran Ridge and the Al Idrisi fault zone has been selected as target of this study as it is recording the whole deformation history since the Messinian. The SARAS cruise is linked to the international Marlboro projects (CNFC, INSU-2010-2011) within the French Termex (Terra Mediterranean Earth Science Experiment) and the Actions Marges Programs, as well as to the European TopoMed (Plate re-organization in the western Mediterranean: Lithospheric causes and topographic consequences) program and the Spanish national Contouriber project. The SARAS cruise is an European research effort to combine the specific know-how and existing databases among participating institutes from France, Spain, Morocco, Italy and Belgium. Nine scientists, mainly from the European Union, representing a wide spectrum of disciplines such as geophysics, stratigraphy, sedimentology, structural, attended the SARAS cruise. |