Project Period: At sea for January and February 2019, collecting data until 2021
Organisations: University of Washington, Oregon State University, GNS Science, NIWA, University of Otago, University of Auckland, and Macquarie University
Project Funders: U.S National Science Foundation
Project Location: East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand
Scientists from the US and New Zealand will be examining the physical conditions along the Hikurangi subduction zone to understand what fluid conditions generate earthquakes. Fluid conditions affect the likelihood and type of earthquakes that occur at faults.
The Hikurangi subduction zone is where the Pacific plate subducts or moves under the Australian plate and is New Zealand’s largest fault. It extends along the length of the East Coast of the North Island.
In one area, the subduction zone is locked meaning no pressure is being released whereas in others pressure is being released via slow slip earthquakes. Slow slip earthquakes are different to normal earthquakes as they occur over days to weeks rather than the seconds it takes for a normal earthquake to occur.
Scientists want to compare each of these areas to uncover what processes might control the locking or slipping along the subduction zone. They will be collecting data over a month long period on board the Rodger Revelle, a US research vessel.
This scientific voyage will involve:
Once the data is collected scientists will begin to analyse and make sense of it before releasing their findings in 2021.
18 October 2021
A team of scientists are at sea off the coast of Gisborne onboard NIWA research vessel Tangaroa, deploying sensors ...
7 October 2021
Scientists find that extinct, undersea volcanoes impact subduction zones and the earthquakes that occur there.
4 March 2020
Earthquakes and slow slip events may be influenced by mountains on the ocean floor, or “seamounts”, according t...
5 April 2019
A slow slip earthquake is currently taking place off the coast of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay along the Hikurangi su...
4 March 2019
We’ve arrived back in Wellington to finish the US research ship Roger Revelle’s New Zealand tour. This was the ...
28 February 2019
Alec Yates is a Research Assistant at Victoria University of...
26 February 2019
Alec Yates is a Research Assistant at Victoria University of...
24 February 2019
Alec Yates is a Research Assistant at Victoria University of...
22 February 2019
Alec Yates is a Research Assistant at Victoria University of...
21 February 2019
Alec Yates is a Research Assistant at Victoria University of...
19 February 2019
An underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called Jason is helping an international team of scientists study the...
19 February 2019
We have completed our research and made out way back to Port in Auckland, New Zealand. Everyone is proud of the wor...
17 February 2019
Fluid flow meters are the foundation of this research project. These are instruments that we install on the sea flo...
15 February 2019
We have been using all of our scientific equipment and ingenuity to hunt for seeps. They form where there are crack...
14 February 2019
Every aspect of the research we are doing, and all of the samples we are collecting are vital to our understanding ...
11 February 2019
A critical mission for this research project, is to get samples of sediment deep beneath the seafloor to track deep...
9 February 2019
We collect samples of sediment called cores from the seafloor using a giant straw shaped cookie cutter or by taking...
2 February 2019
Mapping is the first thing we do at every location. We are mapping the ocean to locate bubbles, because bubbles wil...
1 February 2019
One of the main goals of this voyage is to measure and study pore water to figure out trapped water’s role in all...
22 January 2019
We are on the New Zealand subduction zone to study the causes of earthquakes in the region. A subduction zone is wh...
18 January 2019
We have finally departed Wellington aboard the US research vessel Revelle, on its second of three voyages studying ...
16 December 2018
The US research ship Roger Revelle will be leaving CentrePort today for the first of three scientific voyages from ...
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