This project will conduct an aeromagnetic investigation along the Central Indian Ridge to clarify the kinematics and tectonic implications of the zone of distributed deformation in the equatorial Indian Ocean lithosphere. The new data set will comprise about 100 magnetic profiles spaced 15 to 25 km apart covering an area of about 900,000 km2. This new data will permit the determination of the intersection of the India-Australia boundary with the Central Indian Ridge and will show whether the boundary is spatially sharp or diffuse. The data will also improve estimates of the motion between India and Australia and will reveal the evolution over the last 20 million years of the zone of deforming lithosphere between India and Australia.
