Chinese scientists drill deep for answers
Print Edition
THE US drilling ship JOIDES Resolution berthed in Shanghai at the weekend, marking the end of a four-month mission looking at how the South China Sea was formed.
As part of the International Ocean Discovery Program, more than 60 scientists from 14 countries took part in the mission. China had 26 scientists from universities and research institutions on board.
The purpose of the mission was to uncover the processes of continental break up by retrieving core samples from the sea’s margins and provide a scientific basis for petroleum exploration in its northern part.
A total of 17 deep holes were drilled, to a total depth of nearly 7,700 meters, retrieving more than 2,540 meters of core samples.
Sea formed quickly
Jian Zhimin, one of the scientists on the mission, said items found in the cores suggested the sea was more than 30 million years old and that its basin had moved from east to west, contrary to previous speculation of north-south movement.
Lin Jian, a petrophysics specialist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in America, said: “Scientists thought the formation of the sea was a slow process, but we found it formed quickly.”
He said the findings would be helpful in predicting future continental breakup, ocean formation and disappearance.
China played a major role in similar expeditions in 1999 and 2014, collecting samples to study climate change and basin formation.
Wang Pinxian, a professor at Shanghai’s Tongji University, said the mission represented China’s first step in the field of international ocean drilling research.
The second step would focus on establishing a platform for international ocean discovery programs, while the third would be to build a Chinese ocean drilling and research vessel.
“But China should not just build a boat,” Wang said. “It must represent the most advanced technology and meet the requirement of future expeditions.”
He said China planned to launch an international conference to discuss targets and plans for ocean drilling between 2023 and 2033.
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