2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
[SCG51-03] Oceanic Core Complex as a practical venue for understanding oceanic mantle via scientific ocean drilling
Keywords:oceanic core complex, Godzilla Megamullion, Nankaido Megamullions, IODP3
The “Project Mohole” has been a long-standing wish of the global ocean lithosphere research community and a dream of mankind since its initial idea in 1957. However, it is now deemed difficult to implement the new “Project Mohole” by the end of the service life of D/V Chikyu, which is expected to be 2035.
It is therefore important for the global ocean lithosphere research community to fully make use of oceanic core complexes as a practical venue for understanding oceanic mantle via scientific ocean drilling. Among these, the Godzilla Megamullion drilling proposal has now successfully been transferred from the old IODP system to the new IODP3 system in January 2025. The Godzilla Megamullion is the largest oceanic core complex on the earth, located in the Parece Vela Basin on the Philippine Sea Plate. The current IODP3 Godzilla Megamullion drilling proposal aims to core and log two long holes along the evolutionary flow-line of the Godzilla detachment fault as an advanced plan. If the Godzilla proposal is implemented in a near future, we will be able to obtain the long cores of oceanic backarc basin lithosphere for the first time in scientific ocean drilling history, establishing the fourth scientific ocean drilling reference site for oceanic lithosphere, following the sites in the Atlantis Bank, the Atlantis Massif, and the Hess Deep. In addition to the Godzilla proposal, my group is working on the proposal to core and log the series of oceanic core complexes in the Shikoku Basin on the Philippine Sea Plate, known as “Nankaido Megamullions”. The Nankaido proposal will aims to drill relatively shallow holes with a wire-line drilling machine along the several individual domes of the Nankaido Megamullions, allowing obtaining spatio-time evolution of the Shikoku Basin oceanic lithosphere.
In this contribution, I want to share the idea how the global ocean lithosphere research community needs to work together on the oceanic core complex theme, nurturing the environment to implement the future “New Project Mohole”.
It is therefore important for the global ocean lithosphere research community to fully make use of oceanic core complexes as a practical venue for understanding oceanic mantle via scientific ocean drilling. Among these, the Godzilla Megamullion drilling proposal has now successfully been transferred from the old IODP system to the new IODP3 system in January 2025. The Godzilla Megamullion is the largest oceanic core complex on the earth, located in the Parece Vela Basin on the Philippine Sea Plate. The current IODP3 Godzilla Megamullion drilling proposal aims to core and log two long holes along the evolutionary flow-line of the Godzilla detachment fault as an advanced plan. If the Godzilla proposal is implemented in a near future, we will be able to obtain the long cores of oceanic backarc basin lithosphere for the first time in scientific ocean drilling history, establishing the fourth scientific ocean drilling reference site for oceanic lithosphere, following the sites in the Atlantis Bank, the Atlantis Massif, and the Hess Deep. In addition to the Godzilla proposal, my group is working on the proposal to core and log the series of oceanic core complexes in the Shikoku Basin on the Philippine Sea Plate, known as “Nankaido Megamullions”. The Nankaido proposal will aims to drill relatively shallow holes with a wire-line drilling machine along the several individual domes of the Nankaido Megamullions, allowing obtaining spatio-time evolution of the Shikoku Basin oceanic lithosphere.
In this contribution, I want to share the idea how the global ocean lithosphere research community needs to work together on the oceanic core complex theme, nurturing the environment to implement the future “New Project Mohole”.