Editorial Preface
Dear Reader:
Scientific Drilling
ISSN 1816-8957 (printed version) 1816-3459 (electronic version)
Scientific Drilling is a semiannual journal published by the Integrated Ocean Drilling P rog r a m ( IODP ) w it h t he I nt er nat iona l C ont i nent a l S cient i f ic Dr i l l i ng P rog ra m (ICDP). The editors welcome contributions on any aspect of scientific drilling, including borehole instr uments, obser vatories, and mon itor i ng ex p er i ment s . T he jou r na l is produced and distributed by the Integrated O c e a n D r i l l i n g P r o g r a m M a n a g e m e n t International (IODP-MI) for the IODP under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Science Fou ndat ion , t he M i n ist r y of E duc at ion , Cult ure, Spor ts, Science and Technolog y of Japan, and other participating countries. T h e j o u r n a l’s c o n t e n t i s p a r t l y b a s e d upon research suppor ted under Cont ract OCE - 0 4 3222 4 f rom the Nat ional S cience Foundation.
Electronic versions of this publication and i n for mat ion for aut hor s c a n be fou nd at ht t p://w w w.iodp.org/scient i f ic - dr il l i ng/ and http://www.icdp -online.org/scientific-drilling/. Printed copies can be requested from the publication office.
IODP is an international marine research dr illing prog ra m dedicated to adva ncing s c i e n t i f i c u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e E a r t h b y m o n i t o r i n g a n d s a m p l i n g s u b s e a -f l o o r e n v i r o n m e n t s . T h r o u g h m u l t i p l e drilling plat forms, IODP scientists explore the program’s pr incipa l t hemes: t he deep biosphere, environmental change, and solid Earth cycles.
ICDP is a multi-national program designed to promote and coordinate continental drilling projects with a variety of scientific targets at drilling sites of global significance.
Publication Ofice
IODP-MI, CRIS Building-Room 05-104, Hokkaido University, N21W10 Kita-ku, Sapporo, 001-0021 Hokkaido, Japan. Tel: +81-11-738-1075
Fax: +81-11-738-3520
e-mail: journal@iodp-mi-sapporo.org url: www.iodp.org/scientific-drilling/
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief Hans Christian Larsen
Editor Ulrich Harms Send comments to: journal@iodp-mi-sapporo.org
Editorial Review Board Gilbert Camoin, Keir Becker,
Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Naohiro Ohkouchi, Steve Hickman, Christian Koeberl, Julie Brigham-Grette, and Maarten DeWit
Copy Editing
Glen Hill, Obihiro, Japan.
Layout, Production and Printing
Mika Saido and Renata Szarek (IODP-MI),
and
SOHOKK AI, Co. Ltd., Sapporo, Japan.
IODP-MI
Washington, DC, U.S.A. Sapporo, Japan www.iodp.org
Program Contact: Nancy Light nlight@iodp.org
ICDP
German Research Center for Geosciences – GFZ www.icdp-online.org
Program Contact: Ulrich Harms ulrich.harms@gfz-potsdam.de
All figures and photographs courtesy of the IODP or ICDP, unless otherwise specified.
Hans Christian Larsen
Editor-in-Chief Ulrich HarmsEditor
Front Cover: Formation of pahoehoe lava, Kilauea volcano, big island of Hawaii. Photo: Katharine Cashman, University of Oregon. See article on p. 4.
Left inset: Assembling drill core pieces after recovery and preparations for the initial core marking, description and optical scanning at the HSDP field laboratory in Hilo. (See page 4.)
Volcanoes have many stories to tell, and their activity profoundly impacts, and their activity profoundly impacts and their activity profoundly impacts human life and Earth’s environment. In this issue ofand Earth’s environment. In this issue ofEarth’s environment. In this issue of Scientific Drilling, a report on the Hawaii Drilling Project highlights “hot spot” volcanism (p. 4). A decade of planning and drilling on the island of Hawaii resulted in 3500 m of drillcores from lava flows piled up by the Mauna Loa and Mauna Keadrillcores from lava flows piled up by the Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanic systems. Detailed analyses tell an intriguing story about the Earth’s mantle down to 3000 km depth, and how the volcanoes, rising 10 km from the seabed, formed over time and host an unexpected hydrogeological system. Planned drilling in Kamchatka (p. 54) will address the source of energy and water driving hydrothermal systems in volcanoes typical of the Pacific Ring of Fire. And, a report on the potential for ocean drilling to, a report on the potential for ocean drilling to a report on the potential for ocean drilling to address volcanic, seismogenic, and other geohazards is presented on p. 15.
Climate and environmental change are at the top of global research initiatives. The environment in which life flourished 3.2 billion years ago is the target for drilling in northwestern Australia (p. 34). Drilling into a lake in southeastern Europe holds the potential to recover much more recent records of environmental evolution linked to an amazing biological speciation (p. 51). The quest for drilling cores at high latitudes significantly The quest for drilling cores at high latitudes significantlyThe quest for drilling cores at high latitudes significantlys significantly significantly depends on the ability to image targets seismically (p. 40) and the ability to cope with challenging logistics (p. 38). Gas hydrates are important compo-nents in the global carbon cycle and a potentially giant hydrocarbonly giant hydrocarbon giant hydrocarbon
resource. Technology to sample the icy gas under in situ situsitu conditions is
reported on p. 44. Lastly, the global science community will be greatlyLastly, the global science community will be greatlyastly, the global science community will be greatlyly, the global science community will be greatly, the global science community will be greatly supported by the concentration of ocean drilling cores (p. 31) in three fullyocean drilling cores (p. 31) in three fullycean drilling cores (p. 31) in three fullydrilling cores (p. 31) in three fullyrilling cores (p. 31) in three fully accessible international core repositories.
Taken together, the fundamental contributions by scientific drillings by scientific drilling by scientific drilling projects to understanding Earth’s environment and its immense naturaling Earth’s environment and its immense natural Earth’s environment and its immense natural variability over geological time should leave no doubt about their impor-tance. Unfortunately, delays in drilling platform refurbishment and repair, and unavailability of mission-specific platforms—all related to an overheated-specific platforms—all related to an overheatedspecific platforms—all related to an overheated offshore and shipyard market—have caused an almost three-year-long-year-longyear-long-longlong drilling hiatus during IODP’s initial five years. Light now appears at the end of the tunnel. The Japanese riser drilling platform. The Japanese riser drilling platform The Japanese riser drilling platform Chikyu, the U.S.-supplied.S.-suppliedS.-supplied.-suppliedsupplied
JOIDES Resolution (following complete refurbishment of vessel, drillingrefurbishment of vessel, drillingvessel, drilling equipment, and laboratory), and mission-specific platforms for shallow--specific platforms for shallow-specific platforms for shallow--water coring will all be active in 2009 (see schedule on back cover). This schedule will set a new high mark for scientific ocean drilling activity and
provide a welcome backdrop for preparations for IODP renewal in 2013,in 2013, 2013,
which will start in 2009 with a major, community-wide conference (p. 66)-wide conference (p. 66)wide conference (p. 66) addressing the scientific challenges and opportunities for ocean drilling after 2013. The constructive interaction with ICDP and other drilling 2013. The constructive interaction with ICDP and other drilling programs, observatory science, and environmental modeling efforts will no, and environmental modeling efforts will no and environmental modeling efforts will nowill nono doubt form the context of this major conference.
