NanTroSEIZE far ahead, globally unique
“There are several other shallow subduction zones that have been fairly well studied and there are maybe a handful of observatories that have been installed”. Saffer points out, “The ones that are a few steps behind Nankai are Cascadia, the Central American Trench off the coast of Costa Rica and probably the north island of New Zealand. The big thing that has not been done anywhere else and where NanTroSEIZE is really far ahead is the riser-type drilling, the deep, deep sampling of the actual seismogenic zone. What's unique about NanTroSEIZE is: 1) the plan to install monitoring equipment in the deeper bore-holes and 2) there is also a sea-floor observatory, pressure gauges and seismometers that's incredible. It's in real-time and quite extensive. That kind of the complimentary program in NanTroSEIZE is really unprecedented. "
Reaching the critical point and poised to take the last steps
“So it's really going to be a landmark project for many decades and we're poised to take the last couple of steps here. We've made so much progress over the last 12 years and it's just now reaching the critical point; we are about to take the last step, so it's really exciting. And what would be the last step? This would be penetrating, sampling and installing observatory equipment in this next two and a half kilometers in the Expedition 348 bore-hole where we left off. So this last little leg of drilling will take place in the next two years."
Still in early stages -strong need for NanTroSEIZE to continue
When asked “what about post- NanTroSEIZE?” Saffer replies, “I usually answer jokingly: 'I'll retire.'” It becomes obvious he thinks CHIKYU and its expeditions need to, and will, continue for a long time. He goes on, “We're in the early stages right now looking at something that is very thrilling because here in this area we know that slow earthquakes occur. This is a very strange and very new observation and we know CHIKYU's research area has a lot of clues about this behaviour and how these plates work, how slow earthquakes occur and why some of these cause tsunamis and some don't. So this is a very exciting opportunity. It's a project that should also involve the CHIKYU going forward.”
