Geology Of The Bermuda Seamount FABRIZIO AUMENTO1 AND BERNARD M. GUNN2 1 DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, HALIFAX. (NOW AT ELC-ELECTRONCONSULT MILANO – ITALIA 1982) 2 UNIVERSITIE DE MONTREAL (NOW AT VOLCANIC DATA RESEARCH, WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND
[email protected]) Note: This paper was submitted to Jour.Pet. in 1975 and was rejected by the Canadian editor, on the grounds that some the rocks described were not previously known and therefore our data was suspect. ABSTRACT Contrary to common belief, the Bermuda Islands are not made up Recent investigations of submerged seamounts by the DSDP totally of limestones and eolian sands, but in fact some 99% of its drillship Glomar Challenger have revealed the often complex structure is in the form of a truncated cone built up of interlayered history of these underwater volcanoes (see for example Leg 32, igneous rocks. The latter are totally capped by a very thin layer of Geotimes, December, 1973), suggesting periods of emergence and the sedimentary rocks of coralline origin that the visitors to submergence. Multiple holes and especially the continuous drill Bermuda are so enchanted with during their stay. Bermuda is a core through the Bermuda Seamount reported here provides a typical Pacific type atoll, the only one found in the Atlantic region. unique insight into the lithology, structure and origin of one of the large seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean. To date, four holes have been drilled through the limestone capping into the basement igneous rocks. Two of the holes were The Bermuda Islands lie approximately 1100 km east of Cape shallow perforations in the search for potable water; another Hatteras, a third of the way to the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.