Next generation of seafloor samplers

Abstract

The University of Washington, Seattle, has successfully completed the first stage of a proposed multiphase program to develop small rock drills as a new generation of seafloor sampling tools. Phase I of this program, a basic 3‐m drill, was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and Washington Sea Grant. The drill was designed and built for the university by Williamson and Associates of Seattle and was successfully deployed, in 2400m of water on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, during August 1990. The present drill can penetrate and sample 3 m of vertically oriented core from crystalline igneous rocks, lithified sediments, and sulfide and carbonate deposits. It is deployable to a depth of 5000 m (limited by the cable and drill weight) by conventional research vessels using the NSF‐standard armored conducting cable. The drill is presently undergoing post‐test modifications at the University of Washington and will be available to the scientific community through a Regional Facility by summer 1991.