Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project - Volume 82

This volume covers Leg 82 of the cruises of the Drilling Vessel Glomar Challenger. Very little is known about temporal variations in the composition of basalts derived from one or several mantle sources associated with both normal and anomalously shallow sections of the mid-ocean ridges. A more detailed knowledge of these variations is required if we are to better understand the relationship between mantle sources and anomalous topographic features. The principal objective of Leg 82 of the Glomar Challenger was to try to relate regional variations in basalt chemistry to the geodynamics of an abnormal section of the mid-ocean ridge. Specifically, we planned to relate the chemical characteristics of basalts sampled on the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the functioning of the Azores Triple Junction topographic high or "Azores hot spot." The Azores area was chosen for this study because it is perhaps the best studied abnormal region of mid-ocean ridge. Leg 82 began in Ponta Delgada, Azores and ended in Balboa, Panama, taking place between September and November 1981.