Deployment: MSM11-1

Objectives from the cruise report:
North Pond, an isolated sediment pond located on the Western flank of the mid-Atlantic Ridge, offers the opportunity to study microbial communities and their activities in deeply-buried sediments and the underlying basement. One important argument for choosing North Pond is that the geochemistry, hydrology, and geologic setting of North Pond have been previously studied by a series of DSDP and ODP drill holes and seafloor observatories. However the existing site survey data are not sufficient for the approved North Pond IODP drilling expedition, scheduled to take place not before FY 2010. The goal of the proposed investigations on MSM 11/1 is therefore to map North Pond in a detailed way in order to be able to position planned IODP holes precisely. These surveys compromise a detailed seismic mapping of the sediment-basement interface of North Pond, additional heat flow data and geochemical and microbial sampling of the sediments. In addition dredging of the upper crust, surrounding North Pond, will help to better define the petrological setting of North Pond.