Our team of researchers have recently returned from a voyage onboard RV Tangaroa to retrieve moorings deployed to collect sediment samples from the Kaikōura Canyon.
Submarine canyons are incredibly dynamic environments deep in the ocean that transport a lot of sediment and organic carbon. It’s been five years since the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake triggered widespread underwater landslides in the Kaikōura Canyon, causing a powerful ‘canyon-flushing’. Canyon flushing describes the movement of material from the canyon into the deeper ocean, causing the shape of the canyon to change. Studying the sediment samples will reveal important information about how the canyon changes the flow of sediment in the deep ocean after big events, such as the Kaikōura earthquake.