IODP3 Expedition 503 on the D/V Chikyu has begun!
Leaving Sendai on Monday 24th November the D/V Chikyu has set sail on Expedition 503, the third and final of three back to back IODP3 expeditions this year! We wish the Science team and Crew a successful expedition.
1. Scientific background and objectives
International Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP3) Expedition 503 plans to drill a trench basin in the central Japan Trench to recover the whole trench-fill sequence for dating and establishing event-stratigraphy for paleoseismologic interpretations and further investigations of earthquake related element cycles in hadal trench environment. Combining stratigraphy and chronology of thick event deposits, interstitial-water geochemistry proxy-data for past fluid flow pulses and core-to-seismic correlation to paleo-slip-to-trench events, we would like to clarify how often the slip-to-trench events have occurred. Unravelling the complete trench-fill sedimentary record and pore water profile will significantly advance our understanding of the nature and recurrence of hadal trench tsunamigenic slip, the underlying megathrust earthquakes and related geohazards, as well as the effects on enhancing carbon accumulation in the hadal trench that may stimulate carbon transformation and eventual export into the subduction zone.
2. Overview of the expedition
IODP3 Expedition 503 consists of drilling and coring two adjacent 10-5/8 inch holes with the Hydraulic Piston Coring System (HPCS) to 160 meters below seafloor (mbsf) at Proposed Site JTC-1A to continuously recover the full trench-fill sequence. If HPCS refusal occurs before reaching the target depth of 160 mbsf in the first hole, extended shoe coring system and/or extended punch coring system (ESCS/EPCS) coring will continue to target depth or to refusal depth.
3. IODP3 Expedition 503 Science Team
Co-Chiefs
Ken Ikehara: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan
Michael Strasser: University of Innsbruck, Austria
A total of 30 science team members will participate, including the two co-Chiefs, 25 onboard scientists (11 from Japan) and 3 research-only scientists (2 from Japan) selected from IODP3 participating countries. In addition, 5
4 science communicators (one from Japan) will be on board.
4. Expedition website
A dedicated website for the expedition will be launched. This website provides an overview of the expedition, introduces the participating researchers and will be updated with the progress of the expedition.
