2010 School of Rock
The participants, scientists, and staff of Expedition 328, School of Rock 2010 will set sail on September 9th for a 10 day adventure on board the JOIDES Resolution to the Cascadia Margin off the coast of Victoria, British Columbia. The scientific purpose of the expedition is to install a new subseafloor observatory (ACORK) at Site 889 that will monitor pressure at different depths in the ocean floor over time. The information recorded will be used to study a broad range of objectives and help us better understand gas hydrate formation in a region where sediments are being deposited at a convergent plate boundary.
At a later date, submersibles will be used to deploy additional instruments such as sensors that record seafloor and formation pressure and downhole instruments that measure temperature, tilt, and seismic ground motion. These will be connected to a fiber-optic cable for power and real-time communications from land.
(Click to enlarge image) Expedition 328 Drill Site Map.
What will the Rockers be doing? Their 12-hour days will be spent working along-side a dynamite team of instructors and crew who will guide them in their own exploration of cores, CORKS, and logging data from the Cascadia region and beyond. Using the high-tech laboratories on board, and their own observational and problem-solving skills, they will be challenged to integrate diverse sets of data from deep in the ocean floor to recreate the geology and history of the Earth. Much of their experience will also involve developing programs and products that focus on their experience, the JOIDES Resolution, and scientific ocean drilling.
