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Topic Name: Earth's Deepest Sinkhole
Category: Geo sciences & technology
Research persons: Doctoral student Marcus Gary and hydrogeology professor Jack Sharp from The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences
Location: Institute for Geophysics; J.J. Pickle Research Campus, Bldg. 196; 10100 Burnet Road (R2200); Austin TX 78758-4445
Phone: (512) 471-6156; FAX: (512) 471-8844, United States
Details
Scientists return this week to the world's deepest known sinkhole, Cenote
Zacatón in Mexico, to resume tests of a NASA-funded robot called DEPTHX,
designed to survey and explore for life in one of Earth's most extreme regions
and potentially in outer space.
If all goes well with this second round of testing and exploration, the team
will return in May for a full-scale exploration of the Zacatón system.
Sinking more than 1,000 feet, Zacatón has only been partially mapped and its
true depth remains unknown.
During eight years of research, doctoral student Marcus Gary and hydrogeology
professor Jack Sharp from The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of
Geosciences, discovered the system's unusual hydrothermal nature is analogous to
liquid oceans under the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa.
Technology developed to explore the sinkholes could be applied to future
space probes of Europa, where scientists believe that deep cracks and holes in
the ice offer a chance of finding extraterrestrial life.
The technology could also be used to explore Earth's ice-bound polar lakes,
which hold clues to the origins of life on Earth.
Microbes which appear to be new to science have been discovered floating in
deep water and lining rocks in Zacatón. Far below sunlight's ability to
penetrate, they may get their energy from nutrients welling up from hot springs.
Gary and others speculate that previously undocumented life may await discovery
in the murky depths.
William Stone of Stone Aerospace in Del Valle, Texas, heads the exploration
project, named DEPTHX after the robot, a deep phreatic thermal explorer that
NASA funded with $5 million. In addition to the geoscientists from The
University of Texas at Austin, collaborators include robotics experts,
engineers, geobiologists and geochemists from Carnegie Mellon University,
Colorado School of Mines and Southwest Research Institute.
The probe is designed to map underwater caves, measure geochemical properties
of the water, search for microbes and other life forms, and bring back samples
for subsequent analysis.
The team conducted initial tests of the probe's navigation capabilities in
February, successfully mapping La Pilita, the second deepest sinkhole in the
Zacatón system. Operations during this first mission showed that DEPTHX could
find its way through underwater space, collect samples in unexplored areas and
navigate back to the surface.
Unique in the world of robotic explorers, DEPTHX is autonomous. The probe
does not rely on instructions from humans to decide where to go or what to do.
It creates 3-D maps of previously unexplored areas as it swims along and then
uses those same maps to navigate back to the surface.
Cenote Zacatón first achieved notoriety when two divers attempted to reach
the bottom in 1994. One of them, Sheck Exley, died in the attempt. The other,
Jim Bowden, survived, descending to a record depth of 925 feet. The outcome
caused scientists to rethink ways that Zacatón could be explored safely.
Gary first began visiting Cenote Zacatón in 1993 as a commercial diving
guide. He was inspired by the unique environment to pursue a doctorate in
geology. He has continued investigating the system of underwater caves to
understand how they formed and evolved over time, working with a network of
explorers and scientists to increase awareness of the system's scientific value.
"We brought this place into international recognition with the cave community
and now with the scientific community," said Gary. "People in cave diving knew
it was there because Sheck died there. He was a pioneer in cave diving and
legendary for 30 years, holding previous world depth records. That's all it was
known for. Now it has potential for a lot of future research."
About Researcher:
Professor John (Jack) M. Sharp
Professor and Chevron Centennial Professor in Geology.
Ph.D.,
University of Illinois, 1974.
Field of Study:
Hydrogeology
Short Biography:
Dr. Sharp's
hydrogeological research covers flow in fractured rocks, thermohaline free
convection, fracture skin effects, regional flow in carbonate rocks, hydrology
of arid and semi-arid zones, subsidence and coastal land loss, effects of
urbanization, and alluvial aquifers. Jack has long-term interests in the
hydrogeology of sedimentary basins and hydrological processes in ore deposit
formation.
Contact Information:
Office: 3.316EA
Phone: 512-471-3317
FAX: 512-471-9425
Email:
jmsharp@mail.utexas.edu
Mailing Address:
The University
of Texas at Austin
Geol Science Dept
1 University Station C1100
Austin, TX 78712-0254
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Funding:
UTIG scientists often work on
teams in large, collaborative research programs. Beyond the participation of its
scientists in national and overseas programs as necessary for individual field
projects, UTIG is directly involved as an institute in the activities of several
international and U.S. academic research alliances.
- Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP)
- IODP Management International, Inc. (IMI).
- The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP)
- The Joint Oceanographic Institutions Inc. (JOI).
- The Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep
Earth Sampling (JOIDES)
- The Consortium for Ocean Research and Education
(CORE)
- The University-National Laboratory System (UNOLS)
- The International Seismological Centre (ISC)
- The Incorporated Research Institutions for
Seismology (IRIS)
Many UTIG scientists participate
as individuals in national and international geosciences initiatives that
correspond to their particular focused disciplinary interests.
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