Deadline extension: IODP NanTroSEIZE Synthesis Workshop

One of the primary goals of IODP NanTroSEIZE (the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment) and the most recent expedition, Expedition 358, was to reach and sample the plate boundary fault at ~5 km depth below sea floor by extending a deep riser hole at Site C0002. Unfortunately, that objective was not achieved due to technical challenges and difficulties in the drilling operations. Nonetheless, the NanTroSEIZE project has significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting at the Nankai Trough and elsewhere, and the scientific ocean drilling endeavor has helped build a vibrant and interdisciplinary subduction zone earthquake research community.

 

The workshop focuses on two topics: (1) deep riser drilling at Site C0002 and (2) observatory installation and drilling in the shallow portions of the accretionary prism. These two specific topics were chosen based on the objectives and outcomes of the recent NanTroSEIZE expeditions over the last ten years (i.e., Expeditions 338, 348, 358, 365, and 380). Expeditions 338, 348, and 358 had a common primary objective of targeting the plate boundary fault by deepening Site C0002 (Workshop topic 1). Expeditions 365 and 380 successfully installed observatories at Sites C0010 and C0006, and Expeditions 338 and 358 conducted non-riser coring and logging as contingency operations (Workshop topic 2).