Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary: Macquarie Ridge in 3D (Updated)

Geophysics Jun 15, 2021

Updates

Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary: Macquarie Ridge in 3D (Part 1 - Quarantine ?)
Hrvoje Tkalčić[https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013873788242&__tn__=-UC*F],Australian National University I am locked in a small hotel in Hobart turned into a quarantine, tempted towrite a story named “Tasmanian quarantine”, but, honestly, I can’t. I could lament how unlucky, or brag …
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 2 — On the Deck)
Hrvoje Tkalčić[https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013873788242&__tn__=-UC*F],Australian National University We (the team of 9 scientists and technicians from the Australian NationalUniversity’s Research School of Earth Sciences) are out of strict 2-weekquarantine and ready for a pre-voy…
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 3 — A voyage to the furious fifties)
“Below 40 degrees south there is no law, and below 50 degrees south there is no God.”
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 4: What lies beneath ?)
A violent earthquake roared and rumbled through the underworld of a distant corner of the planet covered by the restless ocean, far enough from any soul to be felt or heard.
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 5: Underwater array observatory at the Macquarie Ridge)
Three and a half days after our departure from Hobart, we arrived in just northeast of the Macquarie island and instantly proceeded with swathing – mapping the ocean floor in the north-eastern quadrant, in lines parallel to the Macquarie ridge.
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 6: A race against time in sub-Antarctic waters)
... probably the most challenging feature in the global ocean on which to deploy ocean bottom seismometers, which need to land onto a relatively flat surface ...
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 7: The hunt for MRO21)
When you are pressed for time, the only thing you hope for is for things to go as smoothly as possible so that you can move on.
Probing the Australian-Pacific Plate Boundary (Pt 8: Sailing Home)
Unlike Sirens, who drew sailors to the rocks by their enchanted singing, causingtheir ships to sink, Nereids – the daughters of Doris and Nereus, the old man ofthe sea – were helping sailors through rough seas. These final days of thevoyage, when I look back at what we’ve been through and what we…

An article in EOS, the scientific magazine of the AGU by Hrvoje Tkalčić, Caroline Eakin and others

Deploying a Submarine Seismic Observatory in the Furious Fifties - Eos
Our crew braved rough Southern Ocean seas, endured pandemic precautions, and adapted plans on the fly for the chance to observe a possible subduction zone in the making below the Macquarie Ridge.

(Note: this post is updated when new diary entries are posted  — LM)

Mike Coffin's blog at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, UTas

The research voyage is aimed at shedding light on Macquarie Island’s underlying structure and geological evolution, while also enabling monitoring of future earthquakes and tsunamis that could affect Australia and New Zealand.  It will allow researchers to produce the first high-resolution maps of the seafloor surrounding Macquarie Island, much of it lying within the island’s Nature Reserve and Macquarie Island Marine Park.

Professor Mike Coffin, IMAS shares his thoughts on the voyage.

Voyage to unlock Macquarie Island’s geological secrets

Background to the research voyage

The team will sail on CSIRO research vessel Investigator, to a remote area known as Macquarie Ridge, halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica, to place special monitoring equipment on the ocean floor.

The monitoring will provide vital information about some of the Earth's most violent underwater earthquakes. It could also help scientists understand future earthquakes and tsunamis that might affect coastal populations in Australia and New Zealand.

The project's Chief Scientists,  Hrvoje Tkalčić and Caroline Eakin will lead the research team from The Australian National University and say it will be a "ground-breaking" trip.

At the same time, scientists from University of Tasmania led by Mike Coffin, will conduct research that will allow them to produce the first high-resolution maps of the seafloor surrounding Macquarie Island. These maps are critical for selecting sites to deploy the equipment on the rugged seafloor, much as high-resolution maps are required to ensure the safe deployment of landers on the Moon, Mars, Venus, and other planets and moons.

Landmark voyage to help uncover Earth’s deep secrets
A team of Australian researchers are about to set off on a landmark voyage to discover more about the Earth beneath our oceans, and what triggers underwater earthquakes. The team will sail on CSIRO research vessel Investigator, to a remote area known as Macquarie Ridge, halfway between New Zealand …

Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs)

AuScope and the ANU operate a suite of OBS instruments for the Australian community. Read about the ocean bottom seismometers: how they work, what they look like and the technical skill it takes to deploy sensitive seismic equipment over the side of a ship and, how to get them back.

Preparing to image Macquarie Ridge — AuScope
<p>Enabling research innovation through provision of state-of-the-art research infrastructure to Australia’s Earth and Geospatial Science communities.</p>

Updated (June 15, 2021)

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Louis Moresi

Geodynamicist and Computational Modeller at the Australian National University. Geo★ Down Under evangelist and editor.