Exploring Deep Subsurface Life, Sedimentation and Tectonics in a Young Ocean: Workshop to synthesize site survey cruise data and develop new strategies for a scientific ocean drilling proposal in the Guaymas Basin

November 7-9, 2015
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Conveners: Ivano Aiello, Andreas Teske and Christina Ravelo

Workshop Objectives

The workshop’s goal is to create renewed impetus towards the formulation of a drilling proposal to bring the R/V JOIDES Resolution to the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California (GOC). The GOC represents a singular example of interactions between tectonics, sedimentation and microbial life in a very young ocean formed by translation and oblique rifting. It has been more than 30 years since the D/V Glomar Challenger drilled this young basin during ODP Leg 64. However, today’s scientific questions, approaches and methodologies in the relevant fields of deep life tectonics and paleoceanography have evolved so far that a new, multidisciplinary re-examination of Guaymas Basin by deep-sea drilling is required.

Over the last few years, several site survey cruises have collected sedimentological, microbiological, 2D and 3D seismic, and heat flow data from different parts of the Guaymas Basin region. These new and important datasets form the basis for a renewed effort to produce a drilling proposal that builds on an earlier joint US-American, Mexican and European IODP proposal (Full-833) that targeted the hydrothermally-influenced deep subsurface sediments and basaltic sills of Guaymas Basin for a comprehensive study integrating the extent, activity and limits of life in this energy- rich environment with geochemical, sedimentological and palaeoceanographic characterization.

Meeting Details
The workshop took place over three full days between Saturday, November 7th and Monday, November 9th at the Bugambilias Sheraton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Union Geofisica Mexicana the previous week (http://ugm.org.mx/raugm/).