Science AMA Series: Scientists are on board the R/V JOIDES Resolution
for two months to drill into the ocean floor to investigate geochemical,
tectonic, and biological processes occurring in undersea mud volcanoes
in an active subduction zone.
Abstract
The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) conducts scientific
ocean drilling expeditions throughout the world’s oceans in search of
clues to Earth’s structure and past. The current expedition is
Expedition 366: Marina Convergent Margin, aboard the U.S. vessel for
scientific ocean drilling, the JOIDES Resolution. The scientists
embarking on this expedition hope to learn (1) how sediments, fluids and
chemicals move and cycle through the earth’s crust; (2) the role of
tectonics and mud volcanoes in transporting fluids and sediments in
subduction zones; and (3) how these physical and chemical movements
impact living organisms. The research team will use deep sea drilling
technology to drill into undersea mud volcanoes near the Mariana Trench,
taking core samples of sediments and fluids that they can study on board
the ship. By analyzing the chemicals, sediment layers, and
microorganisms within the core sample, scientists can answer questions
about how rocks, fluids, and chemicals cycle through the earth’s crust,
and this affects life on the seafloor and beyond. Studying sediment
layers, geochemical cycles, and fluid dynamics in the earth’s crust can
tell us a lot about how geological formations (like volcanoes, canyons,
and mountains) are formed, and how they change over long periods of
time. By extracting cores in subduction zones, scientists can answer
questions about how the earth’s crust moves and changes through plate
tectonics, and how this impacts life in the ocean and on land.
Collecting biological samples of living (and past) organisms in these
seismically active regions allows us to study how life on earth may have
begun, and how organisms have evolved to survive in extreme
environments. A team of 30 scientists from around the globe are on board
for two months to work on these questions. Hand-in-hand with the amazing
technology required to drill deep into the ocean floor, we are
collecting the core samples that hold clues to answer these questions.
Thank you to everyone today for your great questions! Our Live session
is officially over, but we will check back in th following days in case
there are any follow-up questions for us to answer. Thanks everyone,
science rocks!