Scientific Drilling

Abstract

The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) is a major long-term drilling project designed to investigate the seismogenic behavior of subduction zone plate boundaries. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 332 deployed a long-term borehole monitoring system (LTBMS), an advanced Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kit (CORK)-type observatory. The recovery of pressure and temperature data from a temporary observatory (SmartPlug) deployed during IODP Expedition 319 helped prove the SmartPlug concept. The permanent LTBMS was deployed n the upper 1000 m of Site C0002, while the SmartPlug was recovered from Site C0010 and replaced with a more capable "GeniusPlug", incorporating an extension with a geochem-ical sampler and biological experiment to the original SmartPlug design. SmartPlug pressure and temperature data showed signs of transient pressure events.