Multi-stage and Integrated Approach for Seafloor Massive Sulfide (SMS) Exploration

Summary The Cabinet Office, Government Japan started the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) in which “Next-generation technology for ocean resources exploration” is scheduled from 2014 to 2018. J-MARES (Research and Development Partnership for Next Generation Technology of Marine Resources Survey) is a private partnership participating in this SIP program organized from four companies (JAPEX, JGI, NSENGI and MMTEC). Since 2014, 6 research cruises have been carried out by J-MARES, performing mainly vertical cable seismic (VCS) and time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) surveys of known seafloor hydrothermal fields, such as Okinawa Trough and Izu-Ogasawara Trench. Based on the successful results of these surveys, we are improving these systems including new deep-towed seismic system (ACS, Autonomous Cable Seismic), which is more efficient than VCS. Other than geophysical surveys, we carried out the sampling on seafloor by ROV. J-MARES finally aims to develop and standardize multi-stage and integrated scheme for SMSs exploration by combining geophysical, geological and mineralogical exploration methods.