Introduction
The Deep-Sea Scientific Drilling Vessel Chikyu, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), will embark on Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP)*1 Expedition 343 Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project (JFAST), from 1 April to 24 May 2012. (From official press release).
Dr Virginia Toy (Department of Geology, University of Otago) will be one of the scientists on-board responsible for analysing and interpreting data arising from geophysical measurements down the borehole, and for documenting and describing the structural geology of any core that is recovered.
Virginia's participation is supported by ANZIC, the Australian and New Zealand IODP Consortium, with New Zealand participation funded jointly by Otago and Victoria Universities and GNS Science. For more information go here: http://drill.gns.cri.nz/DrillNZ/Ocean-Drilling
Information will be added to this page and links will be provided to other sources as the project progresses. Check out the news feed below for the latest J-FAST news.
News Feed:
2 May 2012:Researchers drill deep into fault (ODT article)
13 April 2012:Short update from onboard Chikyu (JAMSTEC IODP Expedition 343 Blog post)
1 April 2012:Chikyu sets sail (JAMSTEC IODP Expedition 343 Blog post)
17 March 2012:Quake zone drilling off Japan (ODT article)
Other sources of information
- Daily Planet segment on the J-FAST project (by Discovery channel)
- Official J-FAST press release from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
- Quake zone drilling off Japan (ODT article)