During the first section of the "Meteor" cruise No. 2 a profile was run from the Azores to the south across the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with a chain of seamounts. The profile extended between the Cruiser (living) and the Hyeres seamounts, which, according to our soundings, form a connected massif, and across the centre of the Grosse Meteor Bank (30?N, 28.5 ?W). These seamounts rise from a depth of more than 4000 m up till close to the surface of the sea forming there a large almost flat plateau. In the case of the Grosse Meteor Bank, this plateau has a N-S extension of approx.