Voyage Number
IN2022_V02
Voyage Dates
Voyage Location
Chief Scientist
Dr Martin Jutzeler
Institution
University of Tasmania
Voyage summary
Research voyage out of Hobart to waters northeast of New Zealand to investigate the structure and geology of submarine (seafloor) volcanoes to better understand the power of their eruptions.
Researchers will investigate three massive caldera volcanoes along the Kermadec Arc-Rangitāhua – Macauley, Havre and Healy volcanoes – to infer eruption style and depositional processes. They will use RV Investigator’s systems to collect bathymetry (seafloor mapping), seismic reflection and sub-bottom profiler data. Researchers will also take sediment cores and collect seafloor rocks via dredges. Seafloor habitats near the volcanoes will be studied using deep-sea cameras equipped with eDNA sampling equipment.
The research will support modelling to enable the first-ever hazard mapping scheme (tsunami and sediment flows) for submarine volcanoes globally and provide new ore vectoring strategies for exploration in Australia.
Two other projects will be conducted on the voyage:
- Argo float deployments: deployment of 5 standard and 3 biogeochemical (BGC) Argo floats (Mr Craig Hanstein, CSIRO; Prof Pete Strutton, UTAS – on shore)
- Natural iron fertilization of oceans around Australia: research linking terrestrial dust and bushfires to marine biogeochemistry (Prof Andrew Bowie, UTAS – on shore).
The voyage will be led by Chief Scientist Dr Martin Jutzeler from the Centre for Ore Deposit and Earth Sciences (CODES) at the University of Tasmania. Partners include two other Australian universities.
The voyage has 26 participants from 5 institutions in the science party plus 21 ship crew on board.
Acknowledgement to Ngāti Kuri
Ngāti Kuri, the kaitiaki and mana whenua of Rangitāhua, the customary guardians of Rangitāhua (Kermadec arc) agree to access to voyage data for educational, academic and non-commercial use.
For other proposed use of voyage data please seek the free, prior and informed consent of Ngāti Kuri (email: research@ngatikuri.iwi.nz).
Users of voyage data are asked to acknowledge Ngāti Kuri as kaitiaki and mana whenua of Rangitāhua in any analogue or digital publications resulting from the use of this data.
COVID-19 Protocols
To safeguard the health and well-being of participants, strict COVID-19 protocols apply to all activities on this voyage. This includes 3-phase PCR testing of all participants for COVID-19 prior to departure and a 7-day quarantine on shore prior to boarding the vessel.
Voyage outcomes
This voyage mapped and sampled multiple submarine volcanoes and their adjacent basins in Rangitāhua/Kermadec arc, providing an exceptional record of explosive volcanic activity in the region, including the 2012 eruption at Havre volcano. The data will be used to understand how submarine volcanoes erupt, where the produced sediments are transported, and what consequences it may have for tsunami generation. Importantly, researchers discovered that the Havre submarine volcano experienced multiple episodes of landslides and these could be relatively recent.
As a result of this voyage, we have a better understanding of the past volcanic activity at submarine volcanoes in Rangitāhua/Kermadec arc. The data collected will contribute to improve tsunami models in context where large earthquakes are not involved. Further, the data will be used to model flux and maximum runout distance of submarine sediment flows. This will assist in risk assessment and planning for undersea communication cables that are essential for global trade and which may be ruptured by submarine volcanism.
The voyage also included several deep towed camera surveys using RV Investigator’s bespoke camera systems. These provided excellent footage of deposits from the 2012 submarine eruption at Havre and informed on landslide activity in the area.
We acknowledge Ngāti Kuri who is mana whenua of Rangitāhua and allowed access to their rohe.
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