Cluster 6: A hard day's work!

We arrived at Cluster 6 on Wednesday morning. The fluid team was busy with two CTD probe deployments, one in the morning and one in the early evening. The aim was to confirm the presence of geochemical anomalies in the water column observed during the first HERMINE cruise. Unfortunately the results of the analyses showed only a very small methane anomaly on the second deployment of the CTD probe at a lower depth than in 2017 (about 2800 m). We are optimistic that hydrothermal activity is just around the corner.

Two rock dredging operations were carried out, alternating with the CTD probe deployments . The first ascent at the end of the day was almost full (to the delight of the rock fans onboard). The latter was filled with fragments of basalt more or less altered and some with large olivine crystals or plagioclases (photos). In the second, less loaded dredge, the blocks were mostly gabbros, often interspersed with quartz veins and basalt.