Workshop sponsored by IODP-MI and InterMARGINS ....................................................................................................................................... The workshop deadline has passed. For inquires regarding late applications, please contact either Julia Morgan: or Eli Siliver: .
As dramatically shown by the Sumatra earthquake and associated tsunami of late 2004, the oceans are the source of some of the most severe geologic hazards. Large tsunamigenic earthquakes tend to occur several times per century, commonly near coastal areas, with devastating impact on communities and coastlines both near to and far from the source. Smaller earthquakes can also generate significant tsunami, often much larger than predicted by the earthquake magnitudes. Global examples are well-known, and include seismically active plate boundaries of all types. Oceanic hazards are also generated in many other settings. These include passive margins in which rapid sedimentation, fluid overpressure, or gas hydrate dissociation can cause slope failure. Explosive eruptions and sudden flank deformation on coastal or island volcanoes can induce sector collapse and catastrophic landslides, with the potential to generate devastating tsunami and related coastal damage.
The mechanisms and controls on tsunamigenic deformation are still incompletely understood, as are their distribution in time and space. Due to their oceanic setting, tsunamigenic events are often preserved in the marine sedimentary record. Thus, ocean drilling provides several new opportunities to extract and read this geologic record, and also to monitor physical and chemical processes and changes in material properties associated with dangerous geologic phenomena. Developing a sound scientific understanding of the geological and physical processes underlying these hazards is crucial to efforts to evaluate their distributions, to produce predictive models, and to mitigate their risks. Presently, the characterization and understanding of the causes and consequences of oceanic geologic hazards is an under-realized element of the IODP Initial Science Plan.
This workshop is designed to establish the current state of community knowledge and activity in the area of submarine geologic hazards, and to address a series of focused questions. In particular, investigations of geologic hazards through scientific ocean drilling still face many obstacles. We have an incomplete understanding of the necessary conditions and triggers for catastrophic geologic events (e.g., landslides, earthquakes, and tsunami), and limited instruments for making in-situ or remote measurements of the geotechnical and other material properties of the rocks and sediments involved. Moreover, there is a need to define tractable scientific questions, and to design realistic science and engineering plans that can actually answer them. Key goals of the workshop are to define outstanding research questions that can be addressed through scientific ocean drilling, establish scientific priorities, identify potential drilling targets, evaluate existing technologies and scientific approaches, and formulate strategies to overcome anticipated scientific and engineering challenges. We hope the workshop will enhance international collaborations and stimulate teams of proponents who will then be expected to develop competitive IODP proposals addressing oceanic geologic hazards.
Scientific topics and questions to be discussed include, but are not limited to:
• What are the major sources of oceanic geohazards, and the geologic processes that drive them (e.g., earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, ground subsidence, volcanic eruptions)? • What are the spatial and temporal frequencies and magnitudes of each type of hazard? • How can we identify and characterize the records of different landslides? • What conditions, geometries, and types of seafloor deformation give rise to destructive tsunamis in different settings? • What are the triggers, mechanisms, and failure modes of potentially unstable sequences?
Addressing these questions will require an aggressive program of ocean drilling, supported and motivated by regional field programs (geophysical, seafloor mapping, and statistical), both on-land and offshore. Each geologic setting will have unique opportunities and requirements, depending on tectonic activity, slope morphologies, and other forcing mechanisms. The availability of observatory technologies will also play a key role in defining the types of in-situ and long-term measurements that can be made, and our ability to transmit and report such information in a timely manner. Full consideration of the topic of geologic hazards will also require careful integration of a number of targets, as well as integration with existing programs.
The workshop will comprise three days of meetings and a one-day field trip to the Mount St. Helens debris avalanche. The meetings will include a mix of invited keynote addresses, short presentations by all participants who wish to speak, open discussions, and breakout sessions. Opportunities provided by designating oceanic geohazards as an IODP Mission will also be discussed. Topics for the breakout sessions will be planned by the organizing committee, guided in part by submitted white papers (discussed below).
The workshop will convene in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 26-30, 2007. Participants should plan to arrive in Portland on August 26 and depart either late on August 30 or anytime August 31. The workshop and accommodation will be at McMenamins Edgefield just outside of Portland, and will include a one-day field trip to Mt. Saint Helens to examine the details of debris avalanche deposits and damage resulting from volcano collapse.
More information will be provided to invited participants as soon as it is available.
The main product of this workshop will be a comprehensive report to IODP-MI and supporting agencies, and reports to the broader community in the form of articles in Scientific Drilling and EOS, for example. These reports will include a list of fundamental scientific questions, prioritization of scientific objectives, potential drilling targets, proposed strategies for achieving objectives through ocean drilling and observatories, anticipated technical difficulties, and recommendations for development of new instruments and/or deployment strategies. The workshop outcome will also guide future revision of the IODP Initial Science Plan to explicitly address the investigation of a broad range of oceanic geohazards.
Deliverables will be made available shortly after the workshop and parties interested can sign up to receive email updates. See link below.
All members of the scientific and engineering community are invited to submit one or more white papers to the steering committee. These papers will be used in developing the detailed program for the workshop and will be available to participants and to the community prior to the workshop. A white paper may address any topic of relevance to the workshop. We particularly seek white papers that suggest high priority objectives for future IODP drilling, locations where IODP should consider drilling to address important objectives, long-term drilling strategies, or key measurements that can be made in conjunction with IODP drilling.
Click here to submit a white paper for discussion at the workshop.
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