As we all know, South China Sea has been
in conflict between nations surrounding it due to geopolitical issues of
claiming several islands in the area. However, geologically speaking the South
China Sea is naturally subjected to several strains and stress as suggested by
its location.
South China Sea is located between the
Eurasian plate and the Pacific plate, as well as between the world’s highest
mountains and deepest point, the Himalayas and Marianas Trench, respectively. The
location of the said sea made it more interesting for scientists to research
about.
Studies have shown that the crust stretches
in the north-south direction creating a break in the sea floor. Following that
is the releasing of magma thus giving rise to the island of Palawan in the
Philippines and Borneo. However, the mechanism triggering the stretch and break
of that part of the continent is still debated until now.
In line with this, scientists from
China, Philippines, India, and United States will sail on board the research vessel JOIDES Resolution for
the first expedition of the International Ocean Drilling Program (formerly
known as the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) or IODP with the aim to
determine the age of the South China Sea and also to resolve how it formed.
Over the
next two months, drilling the ocean floor up to 2 kilometres into the
seabed will be done to collect rock samples. Then by using geochemical and
geophysical analyses, the researchers will be able to determine the rocks’ ages
and characteristics. These should yield clues to their origins. By drilling at
different sites, the scientists should be able to tell precisely when the sea
floor started to spread and when the process ended.
Knowing
the geological history of the South China Sea will not only expose its
formation but will also explain the deposits of oil and natural gases in the
islands scattered there. Beyond that, researches on the geological processes
related in the area will be more studied.
According
to Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, a marine geologist at the University of the
Philippines Diliman, also a project member, the project can also facilitate
earthquake research of the Manila Trench in the Pacific Ocean. The trench came
into being as the oceanic crust of the South China Sea began to sink beneath
the Philippine Sea plate — a process that continues today and causes frequent
quakes. “A proper understanding of the South China Sea is long overdue,” she
says.
Blogpost by: Sariah Kate L. Acama
No comments:
Post a Comment