Page 2 - TonarelliTurgutcan1992

conteni and density, for these and virtually ali Adventure Bank
other ceres. These measured properties must be Adventure Bank (Tables 1, 2) is one of the
regarded as reflecting, but not definitively better known of the recent sediment areas on the
defining, these properties in the sea floor. In Sicilian-Tunisian Platform (Colantoni et al., this

addition, no estimates of gas content or character vol.)
are made here.

8oth grab samples, which are surface
·sediments only, and core samples, which sample
surface and near-sub surface sediments, were
taken from SACLANTCEN operated research
v essels.

Centrai Malta Plateau

Cores 254 and 255 are similar (Table 6;
Fig. 5) . They mainly consist of silt with small

fractions of clay and sand, and both consist of from

30% to 45% calcium carbonate. Core 256 is
composed of fine silty sand, whilst core 258 is
dominated by silt and clay; both have a slightly
lower calcium carbonate conteni than cores 254
and 255. Core 257, however. is abnormal in that it
has an average carbonate conteni in excess of

70% and a more equa! clay-si1t-sand size fraction
distribution than the other ceres.

Core Posit ion Date Oeoth Length Table 1. Adventure Bank, Grab samples. =indicate
1ml approximate depth.
254 36 ' 17 .TN . 31·1·92 iml
255 14 '36 s· E 09·2·92 144
256 36 "17. 7'N. 09·2·92 138 l 25
257 14 '42 s· E 09·2-92 2 25
258 3 6 ' 1 7 .5'N, 11·2·92 128
14·51.5' E !O i i 1 65
36' 18.0'N. l 05
14 ·53 3' E \~3
36 24.8'N, 2 80
14' 38.4' E

Table 6. cçntral Malta Plateau, core samples Core Position ~ Depth Le-ngih :

131 37''18.0'N 12·8·71 .(m} Lml
11 "55.0' E 13-8-71
' 22-4-91 82 o.5 · !
132 37' 12.0' N 22·4·91
2$7 25él 12'' 11.5' E 22·4 ·91 63 1.78
23·4-91
247 37'14.9' N 26-4-91 89 2 .10
12' 05.7' E 86 · z :oo" -- ~

248 37"16.2' N 83 1.85" :
12"05.6' E ..!
.78
249 37 ' 16.7' N !33 i
12''04.6' E
68 '1.58 ..
250 37"29.2' N
12"15.3' E . '· --·· - ____ j

251 37"25.7' N
12"20.5' E

Table 2. Adventure Bank, core samples

~~ 0AAVEI.. ~~ COAASE ~ IIH! l~77J'.] SII.T ~~ Ct.AY Visual descriptions of the ceres allow
SANO L.:..:..:.lJ SAN' Q::;:j
these uppermost seafloor sediments to· be
Figure 2. Centrai Malta Plateau core stratigraphy.
Depths in metres. compared directly (Fig. 2). While the ceres do noi
penetrate sufficiently far to reach below the

surlace sediment layer in most cases, in many
cases they appear to have cored the entire of the

aerobic zone. Water depths at core locations
varies between 33 m and 89 m. Ceres are slightly

longer where thin muddy silt was recovered
immediately at the sediment surface.

The grain size analysis carried out on the

ceres is identica! with the analyses carried out on
the grab samples and allow for direct comparison
of results. Samples from the ceres have been

taken al the surface and at every 1Ocm downward
and at every macroscopic variation. More modern

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