RAPID: US Scientific Participation in Two JAMSTEC Cruises to Study the Mariana Arc

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Funding is provided to allow scientists to participate in two JAMSTEC cruises to the Mariana arc in July and Sept-Oct. 2010. The projects that led to the approval of these cruises resulted from ongoing collaboration between US and Japanese geoscientists. Cruise 1 will explore and sample submarine arc volcanoes in the southern Marianas between Guam and Pagan. Eight days of ROV diving with Hyperdolphin 3K aboard the R/V Natsushima (Guam-Guam; July 9-19, 2010) and will revisit, examine and sample several submarine volcanoes (Tracey, W. Rota, NW Rota-1, E. Diamante, Zealandia Bank area). The investigators will also explore W. Sarigan (in the Zealandia bank area) and Daon volcanoes for the first time. Cruise 2 (Guam-Guam; Sept. 17-Oct 1, 2010) continues igneous basement examinations of the Mariana forearc E, S, and SW of Guam that were studied in 2006 and 2008. The R/V Yokosuka will be mothership for 8 Shinkai 6500 dives and four Deep-tow camera dives in the southern Mariana forearc. In order to achieve the two major objectives, the investigators will focus their work on three major target areas: Forearc southeast of Guam, Santa Rosa Bank and the SE Mariana Forearc Rift. Broader Impacts: These cruises enhance international collaboration in the marine sciences. They also enhance collaboration between academic scientists and those with the USGS and NOAA. This project supports NSF-funded research of Kelley, Reagan, Shaw, and Stern. This project helps development of an IODP expedition. Dissertation research of one graduate student (Julia Ribeiro) will directly benefit from the cruise, and two young scientists (Wada and Guillaume Girard) will participate in a marine geoscientific expedition for the first time. This research supports the MARGINS SubFac experiment and the focus site in the Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc.