A geophysical reconnaissance survey was carried out in the Labrador Sea and Davis Strait between July and September 1977 by BGR. The data format is Society of Exploration Geophysicists SEG Y. The survey was executed on the research vessel MS Explora. The seismic, magnetic and gravity data from 5931 line-kilometers on 21 lines were recorded on magnetic tape. A 24-fold coverage technique was used with 48 seismic channels (traces), with a 2400m streamer cable, and 23.45 l airgun array. A full integrated computerized satellite navigation system (INDAS III) served as positioning system. Based on a preliminary interpretation of the seismograms, the Labrador Sea was devided into an eastern (Greenland) and western (Canadian) area, seperated by the Mid Labrador Ridge. Within the eastern part of the Labrador Sea the Pre-Cenozoic sediments show three distinct layers, traceable over the entire Greenland area of the sea. In the Cenozoic layer olisthostromes occur. The highest apparent velocity determined from sonobuoy data was 9.26 km/sec. The calculated refractor lies at a depth of approximately 13 km. The seismic section from the sediments on the Canadian side of the Labrador Sea show a uniform series of thick sediments below the Cenozoic cover. The highly disturbed basement is often masked by the multiple reflections from the seafloor. Statements about the nature and structure of the basement can only be made after processing data.

The Scientific staff and crew onboard CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent (LSL) returned September the 10th, 2001 from a scientific expedition to the Nares Strait, the northernmost waterway connecting the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The data format is Society of Exploration Geophysicists SEG Y. The ice conditions in the strait required the support of Canada's largest ice breaker. The ship was a versatile platform for 34 scientists to accomplish their marine investigation. The LSL has a history of supporting international scientific expeditions including an oceanographic transect of the Arctic Ocean in 1994 and a biological study of the Canadian Arctic Islands in 1999. Germany (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, BGR) and Canada (Geological Survey of Canada) undertook a 5-week scientific cruise to study and explore the geological structure and evolution of the Nares Strait. The primary objective was the study of structural features relating to the formation of the Arctic Ocean and, in particular, the study of the Wegener Fault. This fault is a linear boundary between Greenland and Ellesmere Island which was noted by the German scientist Alfred Wegener in 1915 and later became the subject of a major scientific controversy. The co-operative cruise, which was planned over a period of 2 years, provided the basis for a wide range of scientific investigations, from marine seismic work and climate change studies through airborne magnetic investigations to geodetic survey measurements and geological sampling onshore. Systematic geophysical offshore studies in this key area had not been undertaken before. Where towing of seismic equipment was not possible because of ice coverage, magnetic maps were made using a helicopter-borne magnetic sensor system. Sediment and water samples taken during the cruise provide information on changes in climate and sea ice cover from the last ice-age to the present. An 11 m-long sediment core from outer Jones Sound is the longest core ever taken in the Canadian Arctic channels and holds clues to the detailed climate history of northern Baffin Bay.

The CINCA marine geoscience investigations on the convergent continental margin of Chile between 19°S and 33°30'S were accomplished during three legs of RV SONNE cruise SO-104, from 22. July to 15. October 1995. The objectives of the first leg are to contribute to an understanding of the geological architecture and of the tectonic mechanism in the area of the Chile convergent zone through a geophysical assessment of the tectonic structures of the Chile continental margin and the adjacent oceanic Nazca plate. During the first leg from 22. July to 24. August 1995 multichannel seismic reflection data with BGR's new digital streamer were collected along a systematic grid with a total traverse length of 4,494 km simultaneously with the acquisition of magnetic, gravimetric, Hydrosweep and Parasound data over a total traverse length of 7,012 km. GFZ's mobile land array of 12 seismic stations recorded the air gun shots fired by RV SONNE within the CINCA area. Three seismic lines were surveyed between 32°30'S and 33°30'S in the area of the CONDOR project. Here, the surface of the downbending oceanic crust is smooth. The 5,000 m to 6,000 m deep trench floor is underlain by sediments, in excess 2,500 m thick. The inner trench slope consists of a landward thickening accretionary wedge which terminates against a body forming the base of a fore arc basin near Valparaiso. The principal area of the CINCA project extends between 19°S and 26°S and comprises the convergent continental margin, the Peru-Chile trench and the seaward adjacent part of the Nazca plate up to approximately 75°W longitude. The tectonic regime of these units of the CINCA area is very different from the tectonic system of the respective units of the CONDOR area. The Eocene-aged and sediment-starved oceanic crust of the Nazca plate becomes blockfaulted when approaching the outer trench slope break. The 50 km to 70 km wide outer trench slope is characterized by a complex system of horst and graben structures in the CINCA area probably resulting from the strong downbending. Steep fault scarps forming the flanks of the horsts reach vertical offsets varying between few hundreds of metres to 1,000 m, and locally even more. The 7,000 m to 8,l00 m deep trench is very narrow and mostly sediment-starved in the CINCA area. Morphology and architecture of the continental margin of the CINCA area are controlled by planar and listric faulting and tilted blocks of inferred continental nature, which apparently slid down into the trench. The inferred continental blocks, overlying a reflective mass, are covered by sediments of presumably turbiditic nature. An accretionary wedge is difficult to define on the seismic single channel records from the CINCA area. However, processed seismic data show a deep reflective mass underlying the downfaulted blocks of inferred continental nature. This deep reflective mass is interpreted to consist of a tectonically eroded and underplated continental crust-basalt melange forming the transition between the downfaulted continental upper plate and the subducting oceanic lower plate. Complex structural highs of still unknown origin and nature have been observed on the upper continental slope at 20°S, 24°S and 25°S. The northernmost structural high represents the seaward termination of the Iquique fore arc basin. The accuracy of the acquired gravity and bathymetric data is very good, i.e. better than 1 mGal and less than 10 m. The Chile trench is associated with strong negative gravity anomalies, and the continental margin is characterized by several positive and negative gravity anomalies of varying size and amount. The first results of magnetic modeling show, that the intensive blockfaulting of the oceanic crust across the outer trench slope causes no loss of the magnetization of the oceanic crust. The air gun shots fired by RV SONNE in 50 m intervals along 17 seismic traverses were recorded by GFZ's mobile land array in the coastal area of Chile. Good quality data were obtained out to about 100 km distance and in some cases even out to about 150 km.

Compilation of the European marine geomorphology (section of Germany). According to the Data Specification on Geology (D2.8.II.4_v3.0) the geological map provides INSPIRE-compliant data. The WMS EMODnet-DE Geomorphology (INSPIRE) contains layers of the natural geomorphologic features (GE.GeomorphologicFeature) displayed correspondingly to the INSPIRE portrayal rules. Via the getFeatureInfo request the user obtains detailed information on the natural geomorphologic features.

Regarding the use of renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, the geological storage of fluids is of particular interest. Therefore, reservoir and barrier formations in the German North Sea come into focus. Due to the widespread distribution of storage and barrier rocks at suitable depths and in combination with a relatively low tectonic overprint, the West Schleswig Block region in the German North Sea shows a high prospectivity for CO2 storage. By means of this high-resolution 2D reflection seismic survey, we want to investigate the potential impairment of geological barriers at the top of geological storage formations (i.e. claystones/mudstones and salt of the Upper Buntsandstein, mudstone dominated formations of the Lower Cretaceous and of the Tertiary). The seismic acquisition setup with a 2400 m active streamer cable with 384 channels will allow a precise image of near-surface structures, such as Quaternary channels, seismic pipe structures, chimneys, polygonal fault systems and crestal faults. In the time period between Nov. 13th and Nov. 24th we acquired 32 lines 2D seismic reflection data (about 1500 km in total) in combination with gravity data, multibeam data and sediment echosounder data. The seismic data resolve the sediments from the seafloor down to the base of the Zechstein. With the acquired data, the sediments of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic up to the seafloor (2-3 seconds of twoway-traveltime) will be imaged in high-resolution for the first time. The imaged fault systems will be investigated regarding their ability to build seal bypass systems. In addition, we acquired seismic data across the Figge Maar blowout crater and we intend to compare these data with the seismic data from the West Schleswig Block.

The Sonne Cruise SO122 was carried out by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR, Hannover) from 3rd August to 9th September 1997, in cooperation with GEOMAR (Kiel), the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO, Karachi) and the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP). During the joint project with R/V SONNE the Makran accretionary wedge off Pakistan should have been investigated in detail with multi-channel reflection seismics, magnetics and gravimetry. Intense fishery offshore Pakistan forced a change of the area of investigation to the south with the following objectives: investigation of the crustal structure and occurrence of the bottom simulating reflector (BSR) in the Makran accretionary wedge; investigation of the structure of the Murray Ridge System in order to reconstruct the geodynamic evolution of the eastern Indian Plate margin; determination of the origin of the crust underlying the Indus Fan and reconnaissance of the sedimentary history of the Indus Fan in order to reveal the uplift and erosion history of the Himalayas.

Within the frame of the comprehensive SPOC project (Subduction Processes off Chile) the SONNE cruises SO161 Leg 2 and 3 have been conducted between October 16th and November 29th, 2001, off central Chile between 28° and 44° S. In that period some 5,300 km were surveyed with multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection, magnetic, gravity, high-resolution bathymetric and echographic methods. In addition, approximately 3,900 km were surveyed with the same spectrum of methods but without MCS. The total number of 2D profiles was 48. Target was the variation of the subduction properties between the convergent oceanic Nazca and continental Southamerica plates and the different conditions that might influence the subduction process as there are: (1) age of the oceanic crust, (2) its structure and composition, (3) its sedimentary cover, (4) its thermal state, (5) the subduction angle and obliquity, and (6) the terrigenous sediment afflux from the continent. Furthermore, special focus was given to the subduction front, the subduction interface, the structure of the slope as well as to the forearc basin structure and history, and the general distribution of gas hydrate indicating bottom simulating reflectors (BSR's). The results are to be compared with previous studies of the Chilean active margin, e.g. CONDOR (SO 101 and 103) and CINCA (SO 104). The SPOC target area was subdivided into three sub-areas A,B and C. One area was chosen for a detailed survey by aid of a narrowly spaced grid and for a close link with a lot of partners. This area is characterized by a distinctly different margin type south of it is assumed. Moreover, the subducting portion of the aseismic Juan Fernandez Ridge is located in that area representing another important target of the survey. Advantageous conditions enabled the survey of an east-west profile south of Chiloé Island, providing a section through the submerged coastal Cordillera into the flooded longitudinal valley. Some results of Leg 2 and 3 are: In all areas A, B and C no subduction bulge (outer high) in the oceanic crust was visible perhaps due to the shortness of the profiles. The sedimentary cover of the oceanic crust is exceptionally thin, and the crustal thickness is generally quite "normal" with around 7 km derived from relatively weak Moho reflections. In area B a so far magnetically unmapped region was filled providing reliable ages of the oceanic crust, and suggesting that the Challenger Fracture Zone abruptly terminates west of the area of investigation. The survey in area C yielded valuable information on the trench morphology. The so far unique MCS profile south of Chiloé island shows a very wide trench and allows to extrapolate the general conditions encountered an area A southward to approximately 44° S. It can be stated that the situation is in sharp contrast to the basin structures detected by industry profiles further north in the Golfo de Corcovado.

In July/August 1988 a seismic reconnaisance survey was carried out with F.S. Polarstern on the perennially ice covered East Greenland shelf between latitudes 73°N and 81°N. The data format is Society of Exploration Geophysicists SEG Y. 14 reflection seismic lines with a total length of 2.016 km and 12 sonobuoy refraction profiles were recorded. The following results were obtained: •On the wide Holm Land shelf province north of 79°N three possible Cretaceous rift basins were observed. •A buildup of layered extrusive basaltic rocks forming a wedge of seaward dipping reflectors underlies the Holm Land continental slope. •On the Northeastern Greenland shelf province the existence of a wide sedimentary basin was demonstrated north of 76°N. •South of 76°N four volcanic structures from the continent to ocean were observed: The zone of Early Tertiary plateau basalts (zone I) that occur landward of an escarpment, a flat lying basaltic flow unit immediately seaward of the escarpment (zone II), an elongate wedge of seaward dipping reflectors (zone IIIa), a basaltic flow unit which in places shows seaward dipping beds of short length (zone IIIb), and the oceanic crust. •Dyke swarms and intrusions of inferred Neogene age were recognized at several locations.

The major pre-alpine tectonic lineaments as the Glückstadt Graben and the Avalonia-Baltica suture zone run across the southern Baltic. The BalTec expedition aimed at the gapless imaging of these fault systems from the seafloor down to the Paleozoic basement. Scientifically the expedition was motivated by two hypotheses. We postulated that advances and retreats of icesheets during the glacials initiated and reactivated faulting of the Post-Permian succession, thereby generating several kilometers long near-vertical faults and anticlines. We further postulated that – in contrast to the generally accepted text book models – deformation of the initially up to 1800 m thick Zechstein salt started already during salt deposition as the consequence of salt load induced basin subsidence and resulting salt creep. The profile network was further designed to allow for linking the stratigraphy between previously generated local underground models in the frame of the TUNB project. Altogether we collected during cruise MSM52 onboard of R/V Maria S. Merian 62 reflection seismic profiles of an entire length of 3500 km. This data set contains all seismic lines located in the German EEZ (lines BGR16-212 to BGR16-264) as time-migrated version.

On the F.S. POLARSTERN cruise ANT-IV/3 (6th December, 1985 - 13th March, 1986) multichannel seismic measurements were carried out in parallel with magnetic and gravimetric measurements on 33 lines with a total length of 6,263 km. 3,350 km of the multichannel seismic lines have been processed aboard. The geophysical studies were designed to investigate the structure and geological development of the Weddell Sea continental margin from meridians zero to 60°W, and to define suitable and safe drilling locations for Leg 113 of the Ocean Drilling Program. The main results of the geophysical studies are: (1) The discovery of an approximately N50°E trending failed drift basin, following the trend of a negative magnetic anomaly and a positive gravity anomaly. (2) The discovery of two extensive wedge-shaped and symmetric basement units around a failed drift basin between longitudes 40°W and 20°W. The seismic characteristics, i.e. seismic velocities of 4 km/s and an internally divergent pattern of reflectors suggest that both wedges are formed from extrusive/intrusive volcanic rocks. (3) The confirmation of a major plate tectonic boundary trending approximately N80°E to N60°E, i.e. the EXPLORA-ANDENES escarpment. (4) The confirmation of a glaciogenic progradational wedge beneath the shelf of the Weddell Sea Embayment, made up of several thousand metres of sediments. (5) The definition of 13 suitable and safe drilling locations for ODP-Leg 113.