Physical Properties of Oceanic lower crustal and upper mantle rocks from Atlantis Massif (NERC grant NE/N012402/1)
Physical properties of four serpentinite and four gabbro samples acquired respectively at the Southern Wall (IODP leg 357) and at the Central Dome (IODP leg 304-305) of the Atlantis Massif have been measured and analysed in the frame of a NERC UK-IODP moratorium research. The physical property measurements included simultaneous ultra-sonic wave velocities (compressional and shear wave velocities), attenuation, electrical resistivity and permeability under increasing and decreasing effective pressure ranging between 5 and 45 Mpa. Measurements were carried out using the experimental physical property measurement rig of the rock Physics laboratory of the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK. The porosity and the density of the samples were estimated using their wet dry weight difference and the volume of the samples, under atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The aim of this research project was to learn about the physical properties of oceanic lower crustal and upper-mantle rocks and to find a geophysical method that would allow to distinguish between these rocks, remotely. The dataset has been acquired and interpreted by a science party including researchers from the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre. The ultrasonic wave velocities, attenuation and the electrical resistivity for each sample and for each effective pressure (increasing from 5 to 45 with an interval of 10 MPa and decreasing from 45 to 5 with an interval of 20 MPa) are reported in this dataset. Permeability measurements could have been carried out only on 6 samples for which the permeability was high enough to be measured with the experimental rig.
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