Science & Technology TheReview Wednesday, November 27,1991 — A18 Peninsula scientist in ambitious research project Twenty-two holes were drilled at four sites. by Girard Hengen The Review Spiraling down to the ocean floor m a submersible beneath almost three kilometres of water, local scientist Earl Davis was able to glimpse some pioneering research under way near Van- couver Island. Davis and engineer Bob McDonald, both of the Pacific Geoscience Centre in North Saa- nich, were on an international scientific expedition this summer studying one of the mysteries of the deep. The team of about 30 research scientists, plus support staff, dril- led into the seafloor on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, some 150 kilometres, northwest of Vancouver Island, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Scientists hope the drill sites become subterranean laboratories, revealing clues on how ocean crust forms deep in the centre of the Earth and evolves through time. The 140-metre Resolution, with its drilling derrick towering 60 metres above the waterline, is a research vessel of the Ocean Dnill- ing Program. Earth scientists from Vladivos- tok, U.S.S.R. to Hannover, Ger- many, to Kyoto, Japan were joined from mid-July to mid-September in the ambitious drilling project off the Island. Later in September, some of the scientists returned in an ocean submersible to gather more data from the drilled holes. It’s a two- and-a-half kilometre descent to the murky depths. “Very dark,” is how Davis describes a world seen by very few. Davis, a marine physicist who lives in Saanichton, was co-chief scientist on the expedition. His speciality is thermo and hydrologi- cal studies, analyzing the flow of fluids in the earth’s crust below _the seafloor That fit in perfectly with the scientific goals of the Ocean Drill- ing Program mission. The program is managed by a non-profit consor- tium of 10 American oceanogra- phic institutions. JOIDES stands for Joint Oceanographic Institu- tions for Deep Earth Sampling; a multi-national group of scientists who plan programs and provide advice. “It’s a program a single nation couldn’t do well,” says Davis. “It requires international co- operation.” Jaunts on the Resolution provide a chance for scientists to rub shoulders with others in their field. from across the globe, allowing all to broaden their horizons. : “There’s a tremendous amount of energy that’s generated,” You Are Invited to Play COMMUNITY BINGO 9842 Third Street, Sidney, B.C. 655-1166 DROP-IN AND BOOKLET BINGO PLAYED DAILY Sunday - Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - Midnight Friday & Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. (+ Sunday long weekends!) WATCH FOR OUR NEW EVENTS, COME ON IN & PLAY!!! gathering with others who share the same concems and who are studying the same problems, said Davis. Information yielded from this summer's Juan de Fuca Ridge ‘expedition will be published in scientific journals over the next few years. Its main objectives “were to look at the transfer of heat and chemical elements in the oceanic crust and the exchange of heat and chemical elements,” said Davis. Or in simpler terms, he says, “we're wanting to know better how the Earth works.” Studying places like the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where new seafloor is being created, “allows us to under- stand how two-thirds of our planet’s surface (that under the oceans and seas) has been created.” : Basically, the scientists took samples from the ocean crust per- meated in places by water of more than 260 degrees C, the hottest. temperatures ever drilled in the Ocean Drilling Program. They discovered an underwater world of mineral-rich deposits, pockets of extremely hot water and water circulation patterns which will supply new information on’ how ocean crust forms and devel- ops. —— es JOIDES RESOLUTION ocean-going research vessel, a state- of-the-art floating scientific laboratory. AUTOPLAN AUTO INSURAN *Some Restrictions Apply Place your collision and comprehe NOVae: 92 receive these benefits: » 45% discount on physical damage premium « $50 Emergency Service Expense Coverage ¢ Convenient Payment Plans “Call Today for Details” 652 - 1141 RENEWAL nsive coverage with the Royal Insurance Company and 5] Quiteplan BESURLECE 6 VDUCLE CECE }; SEABOARD PROPERTIES LTD. CE = 7173 West Saanich Road, Brentwood Bay, B.C. Hours: 8:30 - 5:30 Mon. - Fri. 9:00 - 3:00 Sat. ENTIRE STORE including all CHRISTMAS STOCK NOW OR MORE Sea and Shore Gifts 2497 Beacon Ave. Sidney 656-2412 OPEN SUNDAYS 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. 7 Jo OFF € no) ine a oa a2 2 00ND U fWN SRRRSSSEERES SSSseees yoasdace FFeeeeeeeeeee =SSRENRRERBRN SSR SARRLSSSSSSSSesEsss SESSSSIRBsesusssyy G. Ryder. T Hubert G. Clifford R. Miles E Hicks M. Swallow. M. Winram J BConnelly S. Cormkan S. Nicholson E S. Seymour G. Rice C. Ramsey L Beames R. Elder D. McDonald W. Eastgate GWG Group C. Tanner K. James R. Styles H. Mah Mrs. Winslow D. Bowker. N. Knowler M. Donaldson C. Jones D. Horne N. Holloway, D. Coutt’s B. Simpson B. Anderson L Clifford B. Turnbull J. Scott K. Woodford S. Campbell M. Christian B. Gowan B. Tafe B.& J. Polson M. DeBruin Mr. & Mrs. J.A. Bailey S. Elder. G.A. Godfrey P. Ganske & B: Isberg S. Laidley > Mr. & Mrs. E Envin P. Collett M. Eddy J. Huumonen Y. Vanderham M. Powell J. Birch we P. Thornton-Trum, G.E. Winterburn W. Gayette P. & T. Browett R. Shanks H. Evans N. Reedeker B. Upward D. Amos _ R. Andersen G. Page B. Caird J.-Moppet K. D. Fletcher. J. Slaco B. McDonald J. Hopkins B. Cooley D. McAlpine B. McClelland R. Switzer D. Marnell J. Christman D. Horne N. Baziuk J. Grypma J. Lim J. Rice A. Hartman D. Rennie B. Brackenbury T. Bell L Erickson M. Belson E. Scotton A. Bolster G. Kurbatoff A. DeBruin F. Locke E Graham H. Vissers J. Paton A. Johnston G. A. Lacy ~ HE. Laesharju R.H.E.Bailey L Ditlevson L Lidstone H. Waters G. Perodeau C. Begy C. Towler J. MacKeen L Grant R: Dore M. Gillespie J. Cotter C. Diehl S. Garwood K. & R. Smith T. Kimmertield F.S. Green N. Quesnelle M. Pallhamer Brought to you by: — A BOOKSTORE & MORE