East Pacific Rise, 8° – 11°N [ISS]
A fast spreading ridge where seafloor volcanic eruptions were detected in 1991 and 2006.
ABOVE: Map of the EPR ISS and bull's eye (courtesy of S. Carbotte et al.).
BELOW: Regional setting of the East Pacific Rise ISS (courtesy of Donna Blackman).
Introduction
The 8-11°N section of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) is a fast-spreading ridge. Reasons for choosing it as an ISS included:
- It possesses most of the geological/geophysical, biological, and chemical diversity observed on fast-spreading ridges.
- Extensive, high-quality baseline data are available—the area has been intensively studied since the early 1980s.
Current Experiment Coordination
View detailed information regarding current experiments and coordination at the EPR ISS.
Further information
- The Site Coordinator is Dan Fornari; the Oversight Committee Chair is Lauren Mullineaux.
- The Implementation Plan for 8-11°N EPR is available to download as a 480 KB, 11-page pdf.
- See Funded Projects for details of proposals that have received funding, and Letters of Interest/Intent for proposals in an early stage of planning.
- Download the Progress and Planning Meeting Report, April 2006 (805KB)
- Status reports can be found in the Ridge 2000 newsletters.
- Data collected under Ridge 2000 funding can be accessed via the Ridge 2000 Data Portal.
- Request rock samples from Rapid Response cruises in 2006 here.
- Further information about Integrated Studies is available in the Science Plan.
- A current list of relevant references are available online.
- The Site Proposal for 8-11°N EPR is available to download as a 175 KB, 61-page pdf. This document details the reasoning behind the choice of this site as an ISS.

