PROMESS1 Summary cruise Report
(PDF file, 54 KB)

Drilling Site PRAD1

The first drilling site, PRAD1, was on the Central Adriatic slope in ca 186 m water depth and aimed at obtaining a continuous record of four sedimentary sequences correlated regionally on seismic-reflection profiles and inferred to represent the record of glacial-interglacial cycles of approximately 100 kyr duration.

At PRAD1 site we first drilled a pilot hole to assess hazard related to the possible presence of shallow gas (PRAD1-1). Then, the ship shifted 5 m and a second borehole (PRAD1-2) was started for continuous coring, using a piston corer with 85 cm stroke. The borehole was drilled down to 71.2 m, with 89 piston cores that gave excellent recovery (>95%, ca. 68.64 m). The entire borehole (0 to 71 m) was logged with a spectral gamma ray tool. Then we logged between 42 and 71 m with the following tools: micro-susceptibility, dipmeter/caliper, sonic, vertical seismic profiling (using an airgun source close to sea surface) and laterolog (resistivity).

The physical properties of the cores (sonic velocity, density, magnetic susceptibility) were measured with our containerised multi-sensor track (MST) system, and were completed on June 29th around 08:00AM. Preliminary analysis of nannoplancton is performed onboard and will give a first indication about time span of the drilled interval.

Drilling/coring at night on MV Bavenit.		The very first core. From left to right: Martin Galavazi (Fugro), Miquel Canals, Serge Berné ,Nabil Sultan, Antonio Cattaneo.

Drilling Site PRAD2

The second drilling site, PRAD2, was on the Central Adriatic shelf in ca. 56 m water depth. In this area we planned to core through the muddy succession that formed during the last sea-level rise and highstand. The aim of the PRAD2 site was to drill the late Holocene mud wedge in the area of its maximum thickness, where it shows seafloor and subsurface undulations rooted on the mfs (maximum flooding surface) and interpreted as sediment deformation features and/or bedforms. An additional stratigraphic purpose was to reach the sedimentary record of the last relative sea level rise through a surface that marks a change in seismic-reflection geometry from a progrational unit (possibly of Bølling/Allerod – Younger Dryas age) to the overlying plane parallel marine muds of the early Holocene, based on correlation to distal and thinner stratigraphic successions.

After completing a pilot hole (PRAD2-1), we performed CPTU measurement with dissipation tests in a borehole nearby (PRAD2-3). Continuous coring was acquired from two boreholes with excellent recovery: PRAD2-4 for stratigraphic purposes (total core length ca. 32 m, 41 piston cores), and PRAD2-5 for geotechnical samples (total core length ca. 32 m, 41 piston cores). Finally, we ran another continuous CPTU test in borehole PRAD2-6.

Despite the limited space onboard, tasks are accomplished without major difficulty, with the great help of Fugro’s team and of the Russian crew. The weather is excellent, same as the mood of all the personnel.

	PROMESS1 site positions and transit routefrom the Adriatic to the Gulf of Lions.

Pictures from a visit of MS 'Bucentaur' (December 2003, provided by Ralf Gelfort, GGA) [Zipped set of 16 pictures, JPG, 12.4MB]