Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift - German Journal of Hydrography 
148 
The Peru Basin is formed by the Carnegie 
Ridge and the Galapagos Spreading Centre to the 
north, the Nazca and Sala-y-Gomez Ridge to the 
south, and the East Pacific Rise at its western 
margin (see Fig. 1). The deep water in this basin is 
of southern origin. It branches off from the circum 
polar current and flows through a pair of unnamed 
transform faults of the Chile Rise into the Chile 
Basin. From there, it enters the Peru Basin via the 
Peru-Chile Trench and a sill between the Nazca and 
Sala-y-Gomez Ridge (Lonsdale [1976]). According 
to Warren [1981], the abyssal flow in the Peru 
Basin is very diffuse and does not look ‘current-like’. 
Bottom photograph interpretation shows no evi 
dence of current activity in the Peru Basin; only 
some cases of epifauna deflection could be de 
tected. Like other large areas of the North and 
South Pacific, the basin is relatively free of sedi 
ment-transporting current activity (Hollister and 
Nowell [1991]). Within the framework of TUSCH, 
the BSH 3) deployed three current meter moorings in 
the basin in order to quantify near-bottom current in 
tensity and to estimate possible transport rates of 
suspended material. 
Table 1 
Deployment data 
mab 
depth 
sampling 
rate 
number of 
cycles 
days 
rotor 11 
stalls 
sampling 
time 
m 
m 
min 
- 
- 
% 
- 
D1 : 7° 4.1’S, 88 c 
28.2’ W, water depth 4143 m 
200 
3943 
180 
6886 
861 
19.1 
23.09.89-31.01.92 
50 
4093 
180 
6886 
861 
20.6 
23.09.89-31.01.92 
30 
4113 
60 
9612 
400 
26.3 
23.09.89-28.10.90 
15 
4128 
180 
6886 
861 
11.5 
23.09.89-31.01.92 
MK1 : 6° 
31.5’ S, 
90° 24.8’ W, water depth 4139 m 
503 
3636 
10 
6878 
48 
64.3 
08.01.96-25.02.96 
202 
3937 
10 
6463 
45 
62.7 
08.01.96-22.02.96 
50 
4089 
10 
7142 
50 
53.1 
08.01.96-27.02.96 
13 
4126 
5 
14990 
52 
86.0 
08.01.96-29.02.96 
4 
4135 
5 
14999 
52 
88.8 
08.01.96-29.02.96 
0.6 
4138 
5 
14981 
52 
87.5 
08.01.96-29.02.96 
MK2: 7° 
4.3’ S, 88° 32.0’ W, water depth 4149 m 
503 
3646 
10 
6894 
48 
46.7 
10.01.96-27.02.96 
202 
3947 
10 
7610 
53 
60.7 
10.01.96-03.03.96 
50 
4099 
10 
6674 
46 
48.8 
10.01.96-26.01.96 
13 
4136 
5 
15217 
53 
73.2 
10.01.96-03.03.96 
4 
4145 
5 
15238 
53 
76.2 
10.01.96-03.03.96 
mab = metres above bottom 
1) The threshold velocity of the current meters is 1-1.5 cm/s 
31 BSH = Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (Federal Maritime and Hydrographie Agency)