Collaborative research: Large-scale, long-term, multi-directional, cross-hole experiments in the upper oceanic crust using a borehole observatory network

研究人员将在海洋地壳中进行多学科钻孔实验，以评估水文地质，溶质和胶体运输以及多个空间和时间尺度（米到公里，秒到年）的微生物过程和特性。这些实验的结果将使我们对洋壳内流体过程的理解取得重大进展，该项目可能的地球化学亮点包括对井眼内和井眼内流体循环的评估，以及深层流体与浅层流体混合的程度（根据这些钻孔中部署的示踪剂的浓度和分布）、深部和浅部2个基底储层之间的成分差异，并绘制地球化学反弹图，该反弹将慢于热和压力反弹，用于今后评估微生物和地球化学实验。该奖项的资金将用于支持建造科学仪器;用遥控潜水器安放、回收和更换长期仪器;从观测系统收集海底和海底以下数据和样本;分析数据和样本;利用条件模拟法建立流体-热-溶质耦合输运的数值模型;培训学生;介绍和发表成果。

The PIs will conduct multidisciplinary borehole experiments in oceanic crust, to assess hydrogeologic, solute and colloid transport, and microbiological processes and properties at multiple spatial and temporal scales (meters to kilometers, seconds to years). Results of these experiments will comprise a major advance in our understanding of fluid processes within oceanic crust, and will develop new tools and methods that can be applied in many settings.Possible geochemical highlights from this project include an assessment of fluid circulation within and through the boreholes and the extent of mixing of deep formation fluids with shallow formation fluids (based on the concentration and distribution of tracers that have been deployed in these holes), differences in the composition between deep and shallow 2 basement reservoirs, and mapping the geochemical rebound, which will be slower than the thermal and pressure rebound, for the future assessment of microbiological and geochemical experiments.Funding from this award will support construction of scientific instrumentation; emplacement, recovery and replacement of long-term instruments by remotely operated vehicle; collection of seafloor and subseafloor data and samples from observatory systems; analysis of data and samples; numerical modeling of coupled fluid-heat-solute transport using conditional simulation; training of students; and presentation and publication of results.