Here I Come

Today it begins.

We are flying to Perth-Australia to embark on a 21 day oceanic expedition to the Perth Abyssal Plain aboard the Australian national marine facility – the R.V. Southern Surveyor. This 66 meter long four story vessel will be our home for the next three weeks as we gather magnetic and sonar data and collect seafloor dredge samples. Owing to his extensive experience at this kind of thing, my supervisor Dr. Roi Granot says it's going to be an experience never forgotten.

The Perth Abyssal Plain is situated in the south-eastern Indian Ocean, offshore southwest Australia and has water depths between 1000 to 5500 meters deeming it a true abyss. It is what geologists call a passive margin meaning it is the no longer active transition zone between newly created oceanic crust and the continent. Roughly 130 million years ago, supercontinent Eastern-Gondwana broke up and India separated from  Australia and Antarctica, eventually leaving behind a plain of oceanic crust littered with continental fragments such as underwater ridges and knolls.

Our journey will take us fairly perpendicular to the spreading axis of the ocean, in order to gather marine magnetic anomaly data sets used to reconstruct the spreading history of the plain. Interestingly there are a couple of different tectonic reconstruction solutions regarding the early birth of the Indian Ocean and hopefully our investigation will be able to help add further constraints and a more regional picture.

With three flights and about 14000 kilometers ahead of me before my wobbly foot touches the gangplank, there's still a long way ahead. Thoughts of the uncanny combination of magnetism, Australia and a certain island based TV series need to be put out of my head. Considering the assurance my insurance agency gave me that after "only two short weeks" of no communication they will come and rescue me I brought my inflatable cushion just in case.

The waiting has finally come to an end and I'm buzzing with excitement.

But, first thing's first. Hong Kong – here I come!