Header image for expedition: Cradle of the Earthquake: Exploring the Underwater San Andreas Fault 2010

Mission Logs

Follow along as participants in the cruise provide updates and reflections on their experiences, the science, the technology, and other elements of the expedition.

  • Mission Summary

    By Chris Goldfinger, Waldo Wakefield, and M. Elizabeth Clarke

    Image taken by AUV <em>Lucille</em> of plankton, rockfish, sculpin and anemones at the Northern San Andreas Fault site.

    The Northern San Andreas Fault (NSAF) stretches from the Mendocino Triple Junction, an area in northern California where three tectonic plates meet, south through the San Francisco Bay area.

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  • Fisheries Sonar

    By Waldo Wakefield

    The acoustic sonar is used to image organisms living in the water column.

    The scientists involved in exploring the Northern San Andreas Fault are using a variety of sonic and optical imaging systems to visualize geology, geohabitats, and biological communities associated with the fault.

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  • Communicating with the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

    By M. Elizabeth Clarke, Erica Fruh, and Jeremy C. Taylor

    Out on deck, Russell Haner and Elizabeth Clarke make final preparations before deploying the AUV Lucille for a mission.

    Even though the AUV is working autonomously, sometimes we want to communicate with it in order to follow its progress in accomplishing its dive plan and in some cases to ask to change its mission during a dive. One of the most important things we do before a dive is to make sure we have all the communications working before the AUV dives.

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  • Seismic Imaging of the Northern San Andreas Fault

    By Chris Goldfinger and Samuel Y. Johnson

    Sea Lions lounging on navigational buoys are a common sight in the coastal waters of the North Pacific.

    We’re now collecting about 50 “seismic-reflection” profiles across the Northern San Andreas Fault (NSAF) to image the subsurface structure of the fault zone.

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  • Life on a 65-Foot Sail Boat

    By Emily McDonald

    The sun sets over the bow of the <em>Derek M. Baylis</em>, anchored near Shelter Cove after a successful day of multibeam surveys.

    Living on a sailboat for anywhere from 2 to 6 days between port calls is an experiment and experience in itself.

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  • How Sound Creates Seafloor Images

    By Morgan Erhardt

    Dr. Chris Goldfinger, project PI, watches the multibeam screen as data returns in near-real time. Bathymetric and backscatter data obtained from multibeam sonar are used to determine seafloor depth as well as indicators of the type of sediment (hard or soft bottom) that is below.

    There is a multitude of information that can be gathered from multibeam sonar data.

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  • Hoisting the Sails for Exploration

    By Sam Kesten

    <em>Baylis</em> Captain Mark Kocina handles the wheel while First Mate Sam Kesten watches.

    There is a multitude of information that can be gathered from multibeam sonar data.

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  • Hoisting the Sails for Exploration

    By Sam Kesten

    <em>Baylis</em> Captain Mark Kocina handles the wheel while First Mate Sam Kesten watches.

    There is a very small window for conducting research cruises off the Northern California coast.

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  • Surveying the Seafloor with Multibeam Sonar

    By Bran Black

    Project PI Chris Goldfinger keeps the <em>Derek M. Baylis</em> on track for another survey line.

    The first leg of this expedition has been dedicated to mapping the San Andreas Fault and surrounding seafloor via multibeam sonar.

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  • Multibeam Mapping is Underway

    By Chris Goldfinger

    We had a spectacular warm afternoon and sunset after a day of mapping.

    We're finally off on our multibeam survey of the northern San Andreas.

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