9df8df52-d737-37a8-e044-0003ba9b0d98 English dataset British Geological Survey +44 115 936 3100 Environmental Science Centre,Keyworth NOTTINGHAM NOTTINGHAMSHIRE NG12 5GG United Kingdom enquiries@bgs.ac.uk pointOfContact 2026-05-06 UK GEMINI 2.3 http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13605323 Geometry and Kinematics of continental breakup in the youthful Aden rift 2005-09-01 creation http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13605323 PROJECT DETAILS ONLY - NO DATA. One of the primary processes shaping Earth's surface is the stretching and eventual break-up of continents to create new ocean basins. The processes of stretching and heating of -150 km-thick plates, or layers of rock, are made evident at Earth's surface via earthquakes, volcanoes, hot springs, landslides and rockfalls that occur within and along the margins of narrow, long basins flanked by steep mountain ranges (e.g., East African rift, Gulf of Corinth). Ancient areas of stretching are more difficult to decipher, since the physical processes we wish to understand have since stopped, and competing processes of erosion, sedimentation, and subsidence of the rift zones makes them difficult to image. Finally, studies of continental break-up require an understanding of margins on both sides of ocean basins, which may now be 1000's of km apart (e.g., N. Atlantic). We propose to determine the evolution of continental rifting leading to break-up in the Gulf of Aden, where break-up occurred <20 My ago, and both margins are within a day's shiptime from one another. The short time interval since break-up means that sedimentary strata overlying the stretched, fractured, and heated rock layers of the plate are thin, and we can image clearly using geophysical methods. Our experiment involves the analyses of the travel times of seismic waves through the rock layers of the plates and underlying mantle where rocks are hotter, and where pockets of molten rock may have accumulated. Electronic devices capable of measuring vibrations from earthquakes worldwide (seismometers) will be buried along onshore continuations of profiles across the Gulf of Aden. We intend to use both man-made sound sources generated onboard the French seismic research vessel Marie Dufresne, which will travel along 3 profiles of the Gulf of Aden sending airblasts into the water every 50 metres. Our instruments will also record earthquakes occurring in the Himalayas, the Atlantic mid-ocean ridge, the Mediterranean sea, and the East African rift system. Variations in the arrival times of these sound waves recorded across our array allow us to map out velocity structure of the rocks beneath the array and across the width of the Gulf of Aden. Our aims are to map the geometry of the stretched layers within the plates, as well as their variations in velocity and physical properties. The velocity variations help us detect small variations in temperature and/or composition of the rocks, and help us determine the mechanical properties of the plates as they are stretched. Do the plates come apart along one large fracture, or fault zone, or does the stretching move continually inward to a narrow zone of necking, much like one finds stretching blue tack? Has some of the hot mantle rock which passively rises up to fill the place previously occupied by the plate depressurise and melt to form lavas? Where do these lavas form and rise up? Are these properties continuous along the length of the rift zone, or is the process three-dimensional? All of this information is vitally important to 1) oil explorationists trying to improve predictive models for oil and gas generation and migration 2) planners and government officials who need to evaluate seismic and volcanic hazards in areas of active rifting 3) earth scientists who wish to understand the physical properties of rocks so that we can adequately describe the physics of continental break-up and predict the onset of seafloor spreading. Funds are requested to cover travel to and from Oman to deploy instruments, to download data every 6 weeks (3 months) and every 12 weeks (9 months), plus travel to partner institutions to confer and integrate research results. Ebinger, Professor J Unviersity of Rochester Earth & Env Sciences not available principalInvestigator Enquiries British Geological Survey United Kingdom not available distributor Enquiries British Geological Survey United Kingdom not available pointOfContact notApplicable https://resources.bgs.ac.uk/images/geonetworkThumbs/9df8df52-d737-37a8-e044-0003ba9b0d98.png Geology GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2008-06-01 publication Earth core Earth surface Tectonics Natural resources Natural hazards Earth mantle BGS Thesaurus of Geosciences 2022 revision NGDC Deposited Data dataCentre NERC_DDC otherRestrictions intellectualPropertyRights Project metadata only - no data. Either : (i) the dataset has not been formally approved by BGS for access and use by external clients under license; and / or (ii) the dataset contains 3rd party data or information obtained by BGS under terms and conditions that must be consulted before the dataset can be provided to, or accessed by, BGS staff or external clients. Refer to the BGS staff member responsible for the creation of the dataset if further advice is required. He / she should be familiar with the composition of the dataset, particularly with regard to 3rd party IPR contained in it, and any resultant access restrictions. This staff member should revert to the IPR Section (IPR@bgs.ac.uk) for advice, should the position not be clear. otherRestrictions The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused. Either: (i) the dataset is made freely available, e.g. via the Internet, for a restricted category of use (e.g. educational use only); or (ii) the dataset has not been formally approved by BGS for access and use by external clients under licence, but its use may be permitted under alternative formal arrangements; or (iii) the dataset contains 3rd party data or information obtained by BGS under terms and conditions that must be consulted in order to determine the permitted usage of the dataset. Refer to the BGS staff member responsible for the creation of the dataset if further advice is required. He / she should be familiar with the composition of the dataset, particularly with regard to 3rd party IPR contained in it, and any resultant use restrictions. This staff member should revert to the IPR Section (ipr@bgs.ac.uk) for advice, should the position not be clear. English geoscientificInformation British Geological Survey Gazetteer: Gazetteer of sea areas 2010 revision GULF OF ADEN [id=2001406] British Geological Survey Gazetteer: Geographical hierarchy from Geosaurus 1979 creation Gulf of Aden Rift [id=985017] 35.0000 60.0000 6.0000 20.0000 2005-09-01 2007-08-31 NE/C514031/1 Geometry and Kinematics of continental breakup in the youthful Aden rift, all seismic data from this project are archived at Seis-UK. Enquiries British Geological Survey United Kingdom not available distributor https://www.bgs.ac.uk/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link BGS Homepage The BGS Homepage is an entry point to the BGS data services. information dataset dataset INSPIRE Implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for the interoperability and harmonisation of Geology 2011 publication See the referenced specification false Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08 publication See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF false See scientific paper in project folder, "Evidence of partial melting beneath a continental margin: case of Dhofar, in the Northeast Gulf of Aden (Sultanate of Oman)" W:\Teams\RM\NERCResearch\ESAA\Project_13605323