Chikyu Hakken
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Chikyu Hakken (地球発見 Chikyū Hakken?), Japanese for "Earth Discovery", is a mission primarily led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC. The half-billion dollar plus project aims to be the first to drill seven kilometers beneath the seabed and into the Earth's mantle; three times deeper than ever drilled before. While the planned depth of the hole is significantly less than Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole (that already reached 12 km depth), the scientific results are expected to be much more interesting as Chikyu Hakken is the very first super-deep hole bored beneath the seabed where the Earth's crust is much thinner.
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[edit] International collaboration
The Chikyu Hakken mission is a collaborative effort with contributory support of the United States, the European Union, China, and South Korea.
[edit] Technology
In order to accomplish feats never before attempted in drilling, many new technologies had to be devised and implemented in the vessel created for the mission, the D/V Chikyu.
[edit] Drilling Vessel Chikyu
The Chikyu is an ocean going vessel devised solely for the Chikyu Hakken mission and was launched on January 18, 2002. The ship is 210 meters long, 38 meters in breadth and 16.2 meters deep with a gross tonnage of approximately 57,087 tons. The ship has a draft of 9.2 meters and a maximum cruising speed of 12 knots. Its complement of 150 crew are divided between 100 operators and 50 science personnel.
Key innovations include a GPS system and six adjustable azimuth thrusters that enable computer controlled positioning to maintain a stable platform during drilling in deep water. The maximum drilling water depth is declared at 2,500 meters and can support up to 10,000 meters of drill.
On July 29, 2005, the vessel was delivered.[1] On November 16, 2007 the project drilled into four of the six sites as planned, reaching 1,400 meters at the site where they plan to dig 6 kilometers. It was reported as the completion of the first stage of the project. The whole project is expected to be completed by 2012 [2]
[edit] Chikyu Hakken in popular culture
The Chikyu Hakken is featured and plays a pivotal role in the 2006 film Nihon Chinbotsu.
[edit] References
- ^ Chikyu history page, accessed 2007-08-27
- ^ Chikyu 's first mission complete Nature News, November 19, 2007
