1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
[HCG21-01] Social activities based on sedimentology and geology and prospects for the future
Keywords:The Society for Study of Submarine Geological Risks (https://www.kiso.co.jp/sssgr/), IUGS, Task Group on Submarine Geohazards, https://iugs-tgsg.com/), Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@KiichiroKawamura), capacity development (https://researchmap.jp/read0192788?lang=en)
Will geology and sedimentology survive into the future? Let me think about this for a moment. A prospect for the future.
First, will they be useful for disaster prevention? In that case, geology will inevitably be drawn to geotechnical engineering and civil engineering, and will be almost assimilated, but it will basically be positioned under such engineering. Geology exists as a discipline that provides the parameters necessary for engineering design. This may be one way for geology to survive as a science, but it does not increase the value of geology.
In that sense, what is the difference between geology and geotechnical engineering? The distinction between whether it is useful to society or not is not a distinction between the two. I think the difference between geology and geotechnical engineering is whether it deals with history or not. Geology interprets the strata records and investigates the history of the earth from there. Based on that, it clarifies the regularities, processes, and mechanisms of various things. In contrast, geotechnical engineering derives physical and chemical laws based on on-site observations and attempts to understand the site through them. Geotechnical engineering can only go back a few hundred years in history, and beyond that, it relies on geological records, so it falls under the category of geology. If geology can contribute to disaster prevention, it would be in the frequency and maximum values. However, since geology is a science that examines history, it cannot be verified in the strict sense. In that sense, uncertainty arises because it involves inference and speculation. This uncertainty can also lead to a loss of credibility in society, and therefore geology carries a risk in expressing opinions in disaster prevention. However, even if there are risks due to such uncertainty, the regularities, processes, and mechanisms in history are beneficial to us. Even if there is uncertainty, the phenomena revealed by geology should be returned to society.
Next, will it be useful for resources and energy? Oil and natural gas will be converted to renewable energy in the future, so there is no prospect for the future. It is not that it is not expected, but rather that it is not something that can be actively communicated to the world. So, is there a way forward for renewable energy? I think that sedimentology and geology occupy an important position in the development of offshore wind power generation. It falls under the framework of disaster prevention in a broad sense, but it is a different perspective from geotechnical engineering and civil engineering. This is because the seabed is an unknown area. Submarine active faults, submarine mud volcanoes, shallow seafloor gas eruptions, sand wave movement, scouring due to tides, tsunamis, and submarine landslides. Such sedimentary and geological phenomena on the seabed are difficult to observe directly, and therefore long-term observation is essential. To judge whether a development site is safe or dangerous, it is necessary to capture and interpret changes over time. It is also necessary to unravel the history of the geological records and estimate the frequency and maximum values. In this way, risk assessment on the seabed becomes important. In that sense, sedimentology and geology need to take the initiative to solve this problem. Among these, the evaluation of submarine landslide tsunamis is also an important theme in disaster prevention for nuclear power plants.
In the above, there is a need to train highly skilled engineers who have mastered sedimentology and geology. This is because Japan is surrounded by the sea, and coastal development is related to our future development. Yamaguchi University, in cooperation with the Japan Coast Guard, holds practical training on marine geology using survey vessels every year as a practical oceanography program. In addition, in order to acquire international perspective, members of the International Union of Geological Sciences Submarine Geohazards Task Group are being asked to serve as part-time lecturers and give online lectures as a challenge to international issues. In 2023, it will be Dr. Jih-Hsin Chang of National Taiwan University, and in 2024 and 2025, it will be Professor Emeritus Chris Elders of Curtin University in Australia. In addition, prior to this, Professor Jan Sverre Laberg of the University of Tromsø in Norway will be the lecturer in 2021 and 2022. These expenses are being paid for by the "Study Group on Risk Assessment of Submarine Geology," a domestic offshore wind power company. This study group has also produced new geological teaching materials, such as clinometers and grain size tables.
First, will they be useful for disaster prevention? In that case, geology will inevitably be drawn to geotechnical engineering and civil engineering, and will be almost assimilated, but it will basically be positioned under such engineering. Geology exists as a discipline that provides the parameters necessary for engineering design. This may be one way for geology to survive as a science, but it does not increase the value of geology.
In that sense, what is the difference between geology and geotechnical engineering? The distinction between whether it is useful to society or not is not a distinction between the two. I think the difference between geology and geotechnical engineering is whether it deals with history or not. Geology interprets the strata records and investigates the history of the earth from there. Based on that, it clarifies the regularities, processes, and mechanisms of various things. In contrast, geotechnical engineering derives physical and chemical laws based on on-site observations and attempts to understand the site through them. Geotechnical engineering can only go back a few hundred years in history, and beyond that, it relies on geological records, so it falls under the category of geology. If geology can contribute to disaster prevention, it would be in the frequency and maximum values. However, since geology is a science that examines history, it cannot be verified in the strict sense. In that sense, uncertainty arises because it involves inference and speculation. This uncertainty can also lead to a loss of credibility in society, and therefore geology carries a risk in expressing opinions in disaster prevention. However, even if there are risks due to such uncertainty, the regularities, processes, and mechanisms in history are beneficial to us. Even if there is uncertainty, the phenomena revealed by geology should be returned to society.
Next, will it be useful for resources and energy? Oil and natural gas will be converted to renewable energy in the future, so there is no prospect for the future. It is not that it is not expected, but rather that it is not something that can be actively communicated to the world. So, is there a way forward for renewable energy? I think that sedimentology and geology occupy an important position in the development of offshore wind power generation. It falls under the framework of disaster prevention in a broad sense, but it is a different perspective from geotechnical engineering and civil engineering. This is because the seabed is an unknown area. Submarine active faults, submarine mud volcanoes, shallow seafloor gas eruptions, sand wave movement, scouring due to tides, tsunamis, and submarine landslides. Such sedimentary and geological phenomena on the seabed are difficult to observe directly, and therefore long-term observation is essential. To judge whether a development site is safe or dangerous, it is necessary to capture and interpret changes over time. It is also necessary to unravel the history of the geological records and estimate the frequency and maximum values. In this way, risk assessment on the seabed becomes important. In that sense, sedimentology and geology need to take the initiative to solve this problem. Among these, the evaluation of submarine landslide tsunamis is also an important theme in disaster prevention for nuclear power plants.
In the above, there is a need to train highly skilled engineers who have mastered sedimentology and geology. This is because Japan is surrounded by the sea, and coastal development is related to our future development. Yamaguchi University, in cooperation with the Japan Coast Guard, holds practical training on marine geology using survey vessels every year as a practical oceanography program. In addition, in order to acquire international perspective, members of the International Union of Geological Sciences Submarine Geohazards Task Group are being asked to serve as part-time lecturers and give online lectures as a challenge to international issues. In 2023, it will be Dr. Jih-Hsin Chang of National Taiwan University, and in 2024 and 2025, it will be Professor Emeritus Chris Elders of Curtin University in Australia. In addition, prior to this, Professor Jan Sverre Laberg of the University of Tromsø in Norway will be the lecturer in 2021 and 2022. These expenses are being paid for by the "Study Group on Risk Assessment of Submarine Geology," a domestic offshore wind power company. This study group has also produced new geological teaching materials, such as clinometers and grain size tables.