Question

What is the easiest and quickest way to sample sea floor

Answer 1

for more info on marine plate tectonics go to this site

to study marine plate tectonics scientests need to sample the sea floor

The quickest and easiest method of sampling the seafloor from a ship is by coring using a long metal pipe weighted at the top. The pipe is attached to a long multipurpose cable and is allowed to "free-fall"

Several new types of marine research vehicles have been developed that are proving to be valuable tools for marine geologic studies. They allow scientists to descend beneath the water to observe and sample the seafloor. A small-sized deep submersible carries one navigator and one scientist, but some larger ones operate as much as 6,000 feet below the ocean's surface and carry a five-person crew. The deepest oceanic trenches at depths exceeding 7 miles have been visited by these vessels. Most submersibles are equipped with cameras, lights, mechanical arms for collecting samples, and can accommodate specialized instruments for measuring shear strength, inclination of the sediment surface, and temperature of sediments. These research vehicles are also used to investigate the nature of bottom sediments, submarine canyons and seamounts, mineral deposits on the ocean floor, and submarine volcanoes.


In 1963, the National Science Foundation initiated a worldwide investigation of the seafloors called the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). Using technology developed by the petroleum industry, DSDP ships drilled and recovered extensive core sections, some over a mile long, from the ocean floor. In certain areas of the world, some of the oldest sedimentary rocks on the ocean floor record an uninterrupted rain of sediment for over 180 million years. These rocks are mostly the skeletons of countless microscopic plankton and claysized particles. If the history of the Earth is to be better known, it is essential to look to the sediments and sedimentary rocks in the oceans where the record is more complete. Information about the ancient climates of the Earth, oceanic current patterns, and variations in volcanic activity in the past can be found within these rocks.

Seismic recorders are used to identify the depth to the ocean floor and the configuration of its sediment and rock layers. In this graphic record, the ship has just transected a submarine canyon.

As in all scientific fields, computers are important tools for marine geologists All large research vessels carry banks of multipurpose computers. Magnetic and gravity data are recorded continuously on computer tape throughout the day and night. Another type of onboard computer system receives signals from navigation satellites and radio beacons and can locate a ship's position to within 300 feet on the often featureless expanse of open ocean. Onshore computers perform statistical analyses, plot maps, and transform seismic data into a clearer form.

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pubinfo/margeo...

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