Scientific Drilling Program of Drilling Vessel Chikyu and Drilling Data Acquisition for Future Technical Development

The scientific drilling vessel Chikyu has started drilling at Nankai trough under the international organization, IODP. The Nankai trough located beneath the ocean off the southwest coast of Japan is one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet and one of the best-studied subduction zones as well. The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment attempts for the first time to drill, sample, and instrument the earthquake-causing or the seismogenic portion of Earth’s crust, where violent, large-scale earthquakes have occurred repeatedly throughout history. Before starting the international drilling operations, an integration drilling test off Shimokita Peninsula was conducted and we acquired actual drilling data such as vessel heave, hook load, and compensator position. Confirming its validity, data acquisition systems have worked continuously in international drilling operations. It is very important to consider the actual drilling data for the drilling operation and for further technical development. This paper describes the scientific drilling programs of the drilling vessel Chikyu and the drilling data acquisition for future technical development in relation with the sample data acquired in the internal drilling operations.