The Corinth Rift, an elongated tectonic trench where the Earth’s crust is stretched due to the separation of tectonic plates, located in the Gulf of the same name, in Greek waters, is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe. Created 5 million years ago, it is a relatively young rift and has very particular characteristics that differentiate it from other continental rifting zones, such as its high extension rates, between 10 and 15 millimeters per year, and its high sedimentation levels. Although the area has been studied previously, it has never before been possible to obtain sedimentary records of hundreds of meters in very specific areas, which can only be accessed using ships specially prepared for it. Promoted by the International Ocean Discovery Program, IODP, the most important international organization in the exploration of seabed sediments and rocks, and coordinated by the European Consortium for Ocean Research, ECORD, today begins IODP Expedition 381, lasting 12 weeks, eight on board the Synergy Fugro ship and four on land, and in which around thirty researchers from European countries, the USA, Australia, India, Brazil and China will participate. The researcher and professor from the Department of Marine Geoscience and Land Management of the University of Vigo, Paula Diz Ferreiro, is the only Spanish representative in this international expedition, which will allow obtaining unique sedimentary records with respect to previous expeditions developed in the Corinth Rift.
“My main role in this campaign will be to provide biostratigraphic information based on planktonic foraminifera and contribute to the knowledge of the characteristics of past environments through the analysis of benthic foraminifera associations. I will work together with another paleontologist specialized in nanoplankton, who will also contribute to the establishment of the chronology of the sediments,” explains the paleontologist from Corinth, about her role in this expedition, in which specialists in areas such as physical properties, inorganic geochemistry, organic geochemistry and structural geology, among others, also participate.
A unique laboratory for initial knowledge of rifting, tectonics and climate change
“Participating in this campaign represents a unique opportunity since it is sponsored by the most important international organization in the exploration of sediments and rocks of the seabed. The scientific context of the expedition is unique in the sense that researchers from multiple disciplines work simultaneously to answer the questions that motivate this expedition”, explains Paula Diz, who also highlights the scientific interest of the proposal, since the results obtained will provide an important advance in the knowledge of continental rifts.
Considering that information on the evolution of the rift comes mostly from interpretations based on seismic stratigraphy, and a complete knowledge of this particular area requires obtaining a sedimentary record (core), which provides information at a high temporal and spatial resolution, IOPD Expedition 381 will focus on the search for sedimentary records in three relevant areas of the Corinth rift. “We hope that these records will allow us to respond to several objectives, such as: determining how the rift evolved over time; establishing how the development of the rift and the movement of faults modified the deposition of sediments; establishing the implications of the development of the rift on the seismic activity of the area and establishing the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstruction of the rift sediments and contributing to the knowledge of the climate of the eastern Mediterranean during the Pleistocene”, details the researcher from the University of Vigo.
The first phase of the expedition, which will take place on board the ship in the Corinth Rift, aims to drill the ocean floor to obtain sedimentary records, as well as to obtain preliminary sedimentological, chemical, micropaleontological and physical analyses. “These analyses are very relevant to obtain preliminary information on the evolution of the study area over time,” explains Paula Diz, who in addition to this offshore phase, will also take part in the onshore phase, which will take place in Bremen, Germany, and in which samples will be obtained at specific intervals from the sedimentary records collected in the first phase, in order to carry out detailed physicochemical, sedimentological, micropaleontological and magnetic measurements of the sediment.
A babel of knowledge
Led by University of Southampton Professor Lisa McNeill and Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researcher Donna Shillington, the expedition is made up of 30 researchers, 16 of whom are from ECORD member countries, eight from the US, four from Greece, and one each from Australia, India, Brazil and China. The operational costs of the expedition are being funded by contributions from the governments of the 14 European nations and Canada that are part of ECORD, while scientific support also comes from IODP.
“Spain contributes very little money to the consortium and does not pay for transport or per diem expenses. The costs of traveling to Greece were paid for by my research group and other expenses that arise I am paying for myself,” explains the paleontologist specializing in foraminifera, who in 2012 had already taken part in another IODP expedition.
Part of the team participating in the expedition. Paula Diz, fourth from the left.
Source: duvi
