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Japan launches research vessel to pinpoint quake site

Xinhua, June 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Japan has launched a research vessel which may help detect origin of earthquakes by analyzing the deep- sea floor.

The ship, named Kaimei, is expected to be useful in locating sites where earthquakes are more likely to occur by studying detailed changes before and after a quake through 3-D visualization of crustal rocks in deep-sea waters, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday.

With a length of about 100 meters and width of 19 meters, Kaimei is Japan's first vessel equipped with a system to create 3- D images of seabed structures, and it can also drill into the seafloor to analyze minerals.

The vessel can collect mud on the seabed at a depth of 10,000 meters or more and drill the seafloor at a depth of 3,000 meters to search for rare minerals and other resources.

Costing 20.7 billion yen (about 166 million U.S. dollars), Kaimei is built at the request of the Japan Agency for Marine- Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

The vessel will be delivered to JAMSTEC around March 2016 after work on its interior is completed while at sea. It is scheduled to start surveying in fiscal 2017 (April 1, 2017-March 31, 2018). Endi