In 1995, the Italian National Research Council (CNR) approved extra-budgetary funding (Progetto Strategico) for a project proposal entitled ``Lithosphere Formation in mid-oceanic ridges and back-arc basins : Geological Studies in the Equatorial Atlantic and Tyrrhenian Sea'' submitted by the Institute of Marine Geology (IGM) of Bologna. The project, coordinated by E.Bonatti, concerned detailed morfo-bathymetric and geophysical (magnetic, seismic and gravimetric) surveys of two end-member marine areas, the Equatorial Atlantic and the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the principal aim of determining their development in a geodynamic context. The project has been underway since May 1996, starting with a cruise in the Equatorial Atlantic (Romanche Fracture Zone) and foreseeing two campaigns in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This report targets the two research campaigns in the Tyrrhenian Sea (TIR96 and TIR99) that took place in 1996 and 1999, and presents an overview of the equipment used during survey operations and a preliminary insight to the results obtained.
The first expedition used the 104 m R/V Gelendzhik owned by CGGE of the Russian Federation, that was chartered to IGM by a direct contract. The second expedition used the 71 m R/V A.N.Strakhov of GIN, that was chartered to IGM upon a collaborative contract between GIN and ELETTRA (ships owners and Multibeam owners, respectively). Additional agreements for both the surveys were made with MSU for the gravimeters, and with GIN for single-channel reflection seismic. Survey planning and acquisition was supervised by IGM. IIM and GIN teams helped during data acquisition. Collaborative technical assistance to the marine gravimeters and seismic streamer were undertaken by personnel from MSU and GIN.