Drilling to Study Seafloor Supervolcanoes
The eruptions of "supervolcanoes" on Earth's
surface have been blamed for causing mass extinctions, belching large amounts
of gases and particles into the atmosphere, and re-paving the ocean floor. The
result? Loss of species, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and
changes in ocean circulation. Despite their global impact, the origin and
triggering mechanism of these eruptions remain poorly understood. New data
collected during a recent Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) scientific
research expedition in the Pacific Ocean may
provide clues to unlocking this unsolved mystery in Earth's geologic record.
In fall 2009, an international team of scientists participating in IODP Expedition 324 "Shatsky Rise Formation," drilled five sites in the ocean floor to study the origin of the 145 million-year-old Shatsky Rise volcanic mountain chain. Located approximately 930 miles east of Japan, Shatsky Rise measures roughly the size of California. This underwater mountain chain represents one of the largest supervolcanoes in the world: The top of Shatsky Rise lies about 2 miles below the sea surface, while its base plunges to nearly 4 miles below the surface. Shatsky Rise is composed of layers of hardened lava, with individual lava flows that are up to 75 feet thick.
"Seafloor supervolcanoes are characterized by the eruption of enormous volumes of lava. Studying their formation is critical to understanding the processes of volcanism and the movement of material from the Earth's interior to the surface," remarks Dr. William Sager of Texas A&M University, who led the expedition together with co-chief scientist Dr. Takashi Sano of Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo.
About a dozen supervolcanoes exist on Earth – some are found on land, while others lie at the bottom of the ocean. Those found on the seafloor often are referred to as "large oceanic plateaus." Current scientific thinking suggests that these supervolcanoes were caused by eruptions occurring over a period of a few million years or less – a rapid pace in geologic time. Each of these supervolcanoes produced several million cubic kilometers of lava – about 300 times the volume of all the Great Lakes combined – dwarfing the volume of lava produced by the biggest present-day volcanoes such as Hawaii.
The IODP Shatsky Rise expedition focused on deciphering the relationship between supervolcano formation and the boundaries of tectonic plates, which may prove crucial to understanding what triggers supervolcano formation. "Shatsky Rise is one of the best places in the world to study the origin of supervolcanoes," Sager points out.
According to preliminary results, sediments and microfossils collected during the expedition indicate that parts of the Shatsky Rise plateau were at one time at or above sea level, and formed an archipelago during the early Cretaceous period (about 145 million years ago). Shipboard lab studies further show that much of the lava erupted rapidly, and that Shatsky Rise formed at or near the equator. As analyses continue in the months and years ahead, data collected during this expedition may help scientists to resolve the 50 year-old debate about the origin and nature of large oceanic plateaus.
IODP Expedition 324 "Shatsky Rise Formation" took place onboard the scientific ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution from Sept. 4 to Nov. 4, 2009. The JOIDES Resolution is one of the primary research vessels of IODP, an international marine research program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth through drilling, coring and monitoring the subseafloor.
In fall 2009, an international team of scientists participating in IODP Expedition 324 "Shatsky Rise Formation," drilled five sites in the ocean floor to study the origin of the 145 million-year-old Shatsky Rise volcanic mountain chain. Located approximately 930 miles east of Japan, Shatsky Rise measures roughly the size of California. This underwater mountain chain represents one of the largest supervolcanoes in the world: The top of Shatsky Rise lies about 2 miles below the sea surface, while its base plunges to nearly 4 miles below the surface. Shatsky Rise is composed of layers of hardened lava, with individual lava flows that are up to 75 feet thick.
"Seafloor supervolcanoes are characterized by the eruption of enormous volumes of lava. Studying their formation is critical to understanding the processes of volcanism and the movement of material from the Earth's interior to the surface," remarks Dr. William Sager of Texas A&M University, who led the expedition together with co-chief scientist Dr. Takashi Sano of Japan's National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo.
About a dozen supervolcanoes exist on Earth – some are found on land, while others lie at the bottom of the ocean. Those found on the seafloor often are referred to as "large oceanic plateaus." Current scientific thinking suggests that these supervolcanoes were caused by eruptions occurring over a period of a few million years or less – a rapid pace in geologic time. Each of these supervolcanoes produced several million cubic kilometers of lava – about 300 times the volume of all the Great Lakes combined – dwarfing the volume of lava produced by the biggest present-day volcanoes such as Hawaii.
The IODP Shatsky Rise expedition focused on deciphering the relationship between supervolcano formation and the boundaries of tectonic plates, which may prove crucial to understanding what triggers supervolcano formation. "Shatsky Rise is one of the best places in the world to study the origin of supervolcanoes," Sager points out.
According to preliminary results, sediments and microfossils collected during the expedition indicate that parts of the Shatsky Rise plateau were at one time at or above sea level, and formed an archipelago during the early Cretaceous period (about 145 million years ago). Shipboard lab studies further show that much of the lava erupted rapidly, and that Shatsky Rise formed at or near the equator. As analyses continue in the months and years ahead, data collected during this expedition may help scientists to resolve the 50 year-old debate about the origin and nature of large oceanic plateaus.
IODP Expedition 324 "Shatsky Rise Formation" took place onboard the scientific ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution from Sept. 4 to Nov. 4, 2009. The JOIDES Resolution is one of the primary research vessels of IODP, an international marine research program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth through drilling, coring and monitoring the subseafloor.
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