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| Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project |
| Country | Japan |
| Coordinates | Japan Trench |
| Start | 2011 |
| Type | scientific drilling |
| Organizations | Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Japan Coast Guard |
Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project The Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project was an emergency ocean drilling initiative mounted after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It mobilized international partners to deploy deep-sea drilling and observatory technologies to sample fault zones beneath the Pacific Ocean, linking research from Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology to programs such as the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and International Ocean Discovery Program. The effort intersected with broader responses involving Tōhoku University, University of Tokyo, United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and agencies engaged in hazard assessment after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
The initiative arose in the aftermath of the magnitude 9.0 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which produced catastrophic effects in Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture and led to interactions among research centers including Geological Survey of Japan, Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, and Tohoku University Tohoku Earthquake Center. Objectives included direct sampling of the shallow megathrust fault beneath the Japan Trench, resolving questions posed by prior expeditions like the Ocean Drilling Program and the Chikyu scientific drilling campaigns, improving constraints used by the Global Seismology community, and supporting tsunami hazard models used by Cabinet Office (Japan), Japan Meteorological Agency, and regional authorities such as Sendai City. The program aimed to address hypotheses advanced in publications from Seismological Society of America, Nature (journal), and Science (journal) about coseismic slip, fault zone lithology, and sediment mechanics.
The project was coordinated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology with logistical support from the Japan Coast Guard and vessel time from ships like RV Kairei and platforms associated with Chikyu (drillship). Funding sources included the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), emergency research allocations from the Cabinet Office (Japan), and contributions from international partners such as the National Science Foundation (United States), European Commission, and national research councils including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Australian Research Council. Project governance involved collaborations with institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and IFREMER, alongside working groups from the International Seismological Centre and advisory input from bodies like the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Operations used rapid-response techniques integrating technologies from projects like the Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program. Drilling platforms deployed included specialty coring vessels and remotely operated vehicles developed with input from Japan Marine Science and Technology Center engineers and contractors linked to Kongsberg Maritime and Schlumberger. Tools included rotary coring systems, hydraulic piston corers, and in situ borehole observatories modeled on designs from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and CORK installations used in Juan de Fuca Ridge studies. Borehole logging employed instruments from Schlumberger and sensors compatible with standards promoted by International Continental Scientific Drilling Program partners. Data handling and coordination used cyberinfrastructure inspired by GEOSS and archives maintained by repositories such as the World Data Center and PANGAEA.
Cores recovered revealed fault-zone materials and sedimentary structures that informed debates documented in articles by Yokoyama (researchers), Satoshi Ide, and teams publishing in Nature Geoscience and Geology (journal). Analyses showed low-friction clay minerals and smectite-rich gouges similar to observations from the Nankai Trough and contrasted with fault rocks sampled in the San Andreas Fault studies by USGS researchers. Geochemical profiles highlighted elevated pore pressures and authigenic carbonate occurrences comparable to results from the Cascadia Subduction Zone and Sumatra subduction zone campaigns. Borehole observatories recorded afterslip, slow slip events, and fluid pressure transients analogous to signals reported by Hi-net and F-net arrays, enhancing models used by groups at Kobe University and Kyoto University. The dataset contributed to tsunami source modeling used in studies co-authored by researchers from Imperial College London, California Institute of Technology, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Operations adhered to environmental assessments influenced by protocols from the International Maritime Organization and guidelines developed after incidents like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill for minimizing ecological disturbance to habitats such as those documented off Sanriku Coast and around the Ogasawara Islands. Safety procedures followed standards from International Association of Drilling Contractors and national regulations enforced by the Japan Coast Guard and ship classification societies including ClassNK. Contingency planning coordinated with Japan Meteorological Agency tsunami advisories and response agencies like Fire and Disaster Management Agency (Japan) and municipal authorities in Minamisanriku to manage risks to crews and coastal communities.
The project accelerated international efforts linking observational platforms and modeling frameworks used by consortia such as the Global Earthquake Model and networks like the International Seismological Centre. Its findings influenced seismic hazard assessments integrated into policy frameworks used by World Bank disaster risk programs and humanitarian planning by United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Methodological advances informed subsequent expeditions to the Nankai Trough and collaborative programs with NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and spurred instrument development at institutions like Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute and Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo. The archive of cores and time-series data continues to support multidisciplinary studies published across venues such as Science Advances, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and specialist conferences hosted by American Geophysical Union and Japan Geoscience Union.
Category:Ocean drilling projects Category:Earthquake engineering Category:Seismology