GEOMOUND project
GEOMOUND is an EC-funded research project focusing on the geological evolution of giant, deep-water carbonate mounds in the Porcupine Basin and in the southeast part of the Rockall Basin, off western Ireland and the UK to investigate deep water mineral and biological resources along the European continental margin.
Besides gathering and analysing geophysical, seismic and geological data, one objective of GEOMOUND is to produce an inventory of recorded giant mounds located at the continental margin in the mentioned basins.
In order to understand processes which exist in conjunction with these mounds, their genesis and structure, the topography and morphology of that region has to be known in detail. For this reason, a systematic multibeam survey (Hydrosweep DS-2) in conjunction with sub-bottom profiling (Parasound) was performed along the eastern continental slope of the Porcupine Basin by the German RV Polarstern during leg ANT-XVII/4 in June 2000.
Animation:
European continental slope Data source: RV Polarstern multibeam data; 6x height exaggeration; Porcupine Seabight west off Ireland; Geomound project; File size: 4.9 MB. The Digital Terrain Models were animated using the IVS Fledermaus software.Working Area
The eastern margin of the Porcupine Basin, overall an area of ca. 2700 km², was systematically surveyed. The whole course consists of ten full profiles (ca. 75 nm length), four half profiles (ca. 17 nm length) and two short profiles (14 nm lenght). Additionally during the arival and departure a channel south of the area of interest was surveyed. All in all almost 900 nm were surveyed within 4.5 days. In order to assure highest accuracy and quality of the final product, an overlap between neighbouring multibeam swathes of at least 10 % was realised, using real time Differential-GPS for navigation. Besides the depth measurements sidescan data and backscatter intensities were recorded.
Further cruises which will be undertaken by other institutions will take and analyse sediment cores. These analyses can be utilized to interpret and categorize the backscatter data recorded.
More information:
- The Porcupine Basin is situated southwest of the Irish coast: Map of working area ...
- The Eastern margin of this Basin was surveyed during leg ANT-XVII/4 in June 2000: Course plot in the Porcupine Basin
- GEOMOUND Project Hompage at the Renard Centre of Marine Geology in Gent, Belgium (Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr. J.-P. Henriet)
- ANT-XVII/4 course data via PANGAEA Data Server ...
- Read more: Porcupine Seabight description ...
- Read more: About Carbonate Mounds ...
- Coming soon: Enjoy a flight through the Geomound survey area (shockwave flash movie) ...
Beyer, A. (2001): Hochauflösende Bathymetrie am europäischen Kontinentalhang
Beyer,A., Chakraborty,B., Schenke,HW (2005): Seafloor classification of the mound and channel provinces of the Porcupine Seabight: an application of the multibeam angular backscatter data
Preliminary results
Comparison of Hydrosweep bathymetric imagery and Parasound sub-bottom profiles during the course of the survey provides preliminary information on several categories of seabed features: carbonate mounds, channel-ridge systems, slide scars and canyons. A full interpretation of these features will follow on the construction and analysis of a digital elevation model from the HS data and comparison of its detailed morphological information with the sub-bottom information available from the actual and other surveys of the area.
Below selected parts of the areas surveyed are presented. They are the result of a first data processing:
Channel system in the southern part of the survey area (height exaggeration 6x)
Therese mounds: detail view
Belgica mounds area (height exaggeration 6x)