Hydrothermal activity in undersea volcanoes is largely the result of sea water descending into the crust, being heated up and then chemically breaking down the surrounding rocks as it rises back up to the sea bed. These mineral rich fluids then re-enter the water column either diffusely over a wide area, or out of one […]
TOWCAM is an underwater camera that is lowered down to the sea floor and pulled along just above the bottom on a long winch line. It has an altimeter on it that allows the scientists to pull it up or lower it to keep it just above the bed as the ship drags it along
Images from the Unknown Read More »
One of the amazing tools that is on the Tangaroa is a multibeam sonar scanner that maps the contours of the sea bed as the ship travels along. It sends high pitch sound waves downwards in a fan shape and calculates the shape of the sea floor from the complex acoustic reflections. Over the last
The JOIDES Resolution drill ship is back in Wellington after spending the last two months recovering sediment cores from off the east coast of the South Island. The photo shows the ship being loaded with fresh supplies in the Port of Wellington. The expedition was very successful, with several holes being drilled, one of which
Ocean Drilling science holiday programme Read More »