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The geology division of the Bishop Museum has the facilities for
petrographic analysis and sample preparation, as well as the
capabilities for chemical analysis of geological specimens. We
also have strong research ties with SOEST (School of Ocean &
Earth Science & Technology) at the University of Hawai`i.
Current Projects:
An oceanographic research expedition to the southeast Indian
Ocean to study the formation of the Indian Ocean Basin as India,
Australia, and Antarctica separated starting 150 million years
ago. The 53-day research cruise in February-April, 1996,
collected seafloor rock samples from 98 sites along 1600 km of
the Southeast Indian Ridge a ifting that occurs along the
licollected multi-narrow beam swath sonar data used to construct
bathymetric maps of the region. Click here to see the results
summary from the expedition.
A geochemical study to investigate the structure of the Hawaiian
hotspot by studying lavas erupted at Kilauea over much of it's
history. We will look at three very deep cores (1500-2000 meters
long) that represent 100,000-200,000 years of eruptions at
Kilauea. This will tell us how the compositions of lavas changed
over most of Kilauea's life and from this we will learn about
the hot spot's size and structure deep in the Earth's mantle.
A collaborative study with scientists from Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution and SOEST (University of Hawaii) to
investigate the structure and composition of the submarine
extension of the East Rift Zone of Kilauea, known as the Puna
Ridge. We will be conducting a sea-going expedition to the Puna
Ridge in September-October, 1998 and collecting high resolution
sonar data, photographs, magnetic field and gravity readings,
and rock samples from the seafloor in this are. The purpose is
to learn how rifting occurs and to compare it to both the
on-land portions of the rift zone and to the rifting that occurs
along the globe-encircling mid-ocean ridge system.
Website: "http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/natsci/geology/"
[Summary provided by the Bishop Museum]
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