RT Journal Article
T1 Multidisciplinary Scientific Cruise to the Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Azores Archipelago
A1 Somoza Losada, Luis
A1 Medialdea Cela, Teresa
A1 González Sanz, Francisco Javier
A1 Calado, Antonio
A1 Afonso, Andreia
A1 Albuquerque, Mónica
A1 Asensio Ramos, María
A1 Bettencourt, Renato
A1 Blasco, Iker
A1 Candón, Jose A.
A1 Carreiro-Silva, Marina
A1 Cid, Constantino
A1 Ignacio San José, Cristina de
A1 López Pamo, Enrique
A1 Machancoses, Sara
A1 Ramos González, Bruno
A1 Pinto Ribeiro, Luisa
A1 Rincón-Tomás, Blanca
A1 Santofimia Pastor, Esther
A1 Souto, Miguel
A1 Tojeira, Inês
A1 Viegas, Cláudia
A1 Madureira, Pedro
AB This work presents the preliminary result of the multidisciplinary cruise EXPLOSEA2 surveying the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Azores Archipelago from 46° 30′ N to 38° 30′ N aboard the R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa and ROV Luso over 54 days (June 11 to July 27, 2019). In this cruise report, we detail the geophysical, hydrographic, geological, oceanographic, ecological, and microbiological data acquired and a brief of main findings. The cruise addressed the exploration and comprehensive characterization of venting sites, including the water column, the sediments and rocks that host the hydrothermal activity, and the associated mineralizations, biology, and microbiology. Deep hydrothermal chimneys and massive sulfide deposits (up 3,000 m in depth) within the Moytirra hydrothermal active field were identified on slopes that had not been explored previously. Another striking finding made during the EXPLOSEA2 cruise was the field of carbonate chimneys named the “Magallanes-Elcano” field, a potentially relict ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal site sourced by abiotic methane. This field is related to a serpentinite and gabbro rock outcropping on a dome-shaped massif named the “Iberian Massif.” An outstanding finding of the EXPLOSEA2 survey was the identification of the first garden of soft corals growing after active submarine eruptions were reported in the Azores Archipelago composed by a high density of soft corals the suborder Alcyoniina at the summit and flanks of a recent volcanic cone at 160 m water depth developed during the 1957–1958 eruption of Capelinhos. Several cold-water coral habitats formed by colonial scleractinians (e.g., Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata), coral gardens composed of mixed assemblages of black corals (Leiopathes sp.), and octocorals and dense aggregations of the glass sponge Pheronema carpenteri that may be classified as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) have been discovered during the EXPLOSEA2 cruise along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This work reveals the importance of multidisciplinary surveys to the knowledge of deep-sea environments.
PB Frontiers Media
SN 2296-7745
YR 2020
FD 2020-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/7702
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/7702
LA eng
NO Unión Europea. Horizonte 2020
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
NO EMODNET-Geology
NO Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group
NO Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
NO FunAzores
NO FCT strategic project
DS Docta Complutense
RD 19 abr 2025