China’s Deep Ocean Exploration Vessel, ‘Mengxiang’ Or ‘The Dream’ Unveiled
China has unveiled Mengxiang, its first ocean drilling vessel, which has been designed to explore deep in to the earth’s crust to understand more about the mantle. The vessel has been named ‘Mengxiang,’ which in Chinese translates into ‘dream.’ The vessel has been built by China Geological Survey, together with over 150 research institutes and companies. If China’s mission turns successful, this would become the first exploration into the earth’s upper mantle.
The mission is a significant one which aims to explore where humanity has not been before. Mengxiang’s deep drilling could lead scientists to understand the seabed resources, plate tectonics and could also lead to finding new life forms, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The ship can carry up to 33,000 tonnes of cargo, has a body that measures 179 meters i.e. 590 feet long and 32.8 meters wide; can travel 15,000 nautical miles i.e. 27,800 kms and can operate for 120 days per port call, the SCMP reported, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The ship is designed in stability and structure to withstand strong tropical cyclones, which would help it to operate in global waters. Moreover, it has the best drilling power, which would enable it to go 11,000 meters down the surface of the seas. The Mengxiang is expected to push open more scope for scientific research. It is known that the vessel has undergone trials in order to test its propulsion system, though the core details have not been let out.
Human activities have been limited to the surface of earth’s crust, below which lies the mantle and the core. Between the mantle and the crust lies the Mohorovicic discontinuity, or the Moho, which is almost 7,000 meters below the ocean floor and in dry land, it is almost 40,000 meters below. Though American scientists are known to have attempted to pierce the Moho in the early 1960’s, there is more to achieve in this sphere.
A marine geologist from the Department of Marine Sciences at Zhejiang University in eastern China, Li Chun-feng said that, the “rock samples from ultra-deep boreholes have become crucial for understanding plate tectonics, oceanic crust evolution, ancient ocean climates and seabed resources,” reported SCMP. Li added that the Mengxiang had capabilities which “far exceed” that of its counterparts – JOIDES Resolution, the American research vessel and Chikyu, of Japan’s; both, which are scientific drilling vessels. Though there is hope surrounding Mengxiang’s mission, there is skepticism too. Li also touched upon the challenges of the mission, citing that emphasise should be on advanced drilling techniques, high demands on drill bits and circulation systems, which was to help the drill cool down.
