M214

FRINGE II

Fluid-Rock Interaction at the backstop of the Mediterranean Ridge Accretionary Complex. Exploring the role of mud volcanism, salt tectonics and backthrust faulting in the Hellenic subduction zone

At convergent plate margins, the area between the frontal thrust of the accretionary wedge and the volcanic processes on the island arc is relatively rare investigated. The "FRINGE II" expedition in the Hellenic Arc of the Mediterranean subduction zone, aboard the research vessel METEOR (M214), is part of the Bremen Cluster of Excellence at MARUM "The Ocean Floor - Unexplored Interface of the Earth." The planned expedition will investigate the landward accretionary complex in the eastern Mediterranean along prominent fault systems where previous studies have found deep-rooted mud volcanism and fault ridges on the ocean floor. The sediments appear to originate, at least in part, from depths corresponding to the plate boundary between Africa and Eurasia and extend into the subduction channel or the hydrated mantle wedge of the Hellenic subduction zone beneath Crete, Greece. During the expedition, the MARUM AUV Seal5000 and the ROV KIEL6000 will investigate the outcrop zones of deep mud and the formation of cold seeps on the seafloor at specific locations. An extensive sediment sampling program with subsequent laboratory tests and heat flow measurements is planned.