Project Famous

Abstract

A National Academy of Science workshop held in January 1972 outlined a number of timely studies that could be made of the Atlantic Ocean floor. One recommended study was a detailed multidisciplinary investigation of the axis of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. Toward that end, plans, initially begun earlier by institutions in France and the United States, were finalized and put on a viable funding basis, and the project was called Famous (French American Midocean Undersea Study).The purpose of this project was to study and understand the geological and geophysical processes operative at the axis of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge spreading center. Broad regional surveys were made with more detailed, smaller area surveys following. A number of specialized surface and deep‐towed instruments were employed. These included the Scripps deep tow fish, accurately navigated dredges, photographs, water temperature sensors, and heat flow instruments. Special large area bottom cameras were employed. Contour charts of about 10 km were made of the bottom by using narrow beam echo sounders. A sonar side scan image of the whole area was made with a powerful surface‐towed side scan device. Bottom seismographs and accurately tracked surface sonobuoy arrays were used to study natural seismicity and to undertake refraction experiments. The final study was made by specially trained scientific divers in manned submersibles in the summer of 1974. In the study area, which was a section of the rift valley southwest of the Azores, 47 dives were made to the inner rift valley floor.