Ultra-Deep Drilling Reveals Mysteries of Devastating Japan Tsunami

Cornell-led researchers drilled 7 km deep into the Japan Trench to study the fault behind the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, uncovering key insights into earthquake mechanics and tsunami risks.A team of international marine researchers, guided by experts from Cornell University, has successfully completed a groundbreaking drilling project to study the fault responsible for the catastrophic 2011 Tohoku earthquake.Operating at an extraordinary depth of 7 kilometers, the team drilled multiple deep boreholes, including a sub-seafloor observatory that intersects the fault nearly 1 kilometer beneath the ocean floor. In addition to drilling, they carried out geophysical logging and core sampling, and reinstalled temperature sensors in a previously established fault-crossing observatory well—an unprecedented achievement at such depths.Their geologic and hydrologic investigations aim to improve scientific understanding of subduction zones and enhance preparedness for future large earthquakes and tsuna...