Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment

Brief Introduction

　　　The Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment，which is a key laboratory of China Academy of sciences opening to both domestic and foreign scientific workers, originating from the Laboratory of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese academy of sciences established in 1959, is one of the earliest Chinese research groups for Marine Geology. Since it was established, the laboratory has made a number of initiating and fundamental contributions to the development of marine geological sciences in China. After the pioneering and growing of nearly half a century, it has formed its distinctive advantage in research on marine geology. Now it is a modern laboratory with complete disciplines and advanced facilities, and it keeps long-term, extensive cooperative relationships with many famous foreign oceanographic institutions

　　　There are 37 academic staff members in the laboratory now, and 28 of them have PhD degrees, including 1 Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and 8 full professors. The present director of the laboratory is LI Tiegang, and the director of the Academic Committee is ZHU Rixiang (an Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences). Under the guide of the requirement of national strategies and the frontier fields of discipline development, the laboratory mainly focuses on scientific issues such as marine records of global change and Sedimentary Process, the evolution and resource potential of the West Pacific continental margin, deep-see environment and life process exploration and so on.

Basic Information of the Lab

(1) Name: Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

(2)Disciplines and Degree granting

(3) Contact information

Address: No.7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao 266071, P. R. China

Fax: 0532-82898526

Web: http://www.qdio.cas.cn

Research directions and contents

1.　　  the evolution and resource potential of the West Pacific continental margin

(1)Lithosphere dynamics and the deep-earth process of West Pacific continental margin

　　　 Make a thorough study of the crustal structure of the west pacific continental margin to reveal the dynamic process and fluid activity at the boundaries of subduction slabs; research the evolution mechanism of the lithosphere and the crust-mantle interaction to illuminate the evolutionary mechanism of back-arc basins.

(2) The resource potential of deepwater oil and gas (including Gas Hydrate)

　　　 Research the rifting process and the dynamic mechanism of continental margins; assess the resource potential of the deepwater oil and gas as well as the Gas Hydrate.; reveal the Petroleum Systems of deepwater petroliferous basins; construct evaluation models of the deepwater oil and gas (including the Gas Hydrate) and develop the geophysical exploration technology for the deepwater oil and gas..

Research group of the Marine Tectonics and the Marine Seismic Exploration

Research group leader: WU Shiguo

Research group of the Marine Geophysics

Research group leader LUAN Xiwu

2． Marine records of global change and Sedimentary Process

(1)Ocean circulation evolution of the West Pacific and its response to the global change

　　　 Rebuild the 3-D paleo-ocean environment of the ocean circulation system in the West Pacific on a hundred to thousand years scale; research the ocean circulation of the West Pacific and related thermal transfer and evolution processes during the glacial-interglacial cycles and short-term climate events, and discuss their functions in adjusting and controlling the changes of East Asia climate environment to provide a typical example on a territorial scale.

(2) The formation of sedimentary diffusion system

　　　 Research the land-sea interaction, sedimentary process, diffusion mechanism, material source and related environmental response; explore the process how the terrestrial material input into the deep sea; reveal the cause and mechanism of episodic sedimentation; develop deep-sea sedimentology.

Research group of the Paleoceanography and Paleoenvironment

Research group leader: LI Tiegang

Research group of the Marine Sedimentology and Mineralogy

Research group leader: LI Anchun

Research group of the Marine Geological Remote Sensing and the Marine Geographic Information System

Research group leader: HUANG Haijun

3．Exploration of deep-sea environment and life processes

(1) Sea-floor hydrothermal and cold seep activity

　　　 Research the geological settings, the distribution patterns and the mineralization of the hydrothermal and cold seep systems; reveal the deep-earth dynamic processes and related response from the hydrothermal and cold seep activities; Analyze the diffusion mechanism and element-diffusion effect of hydrothermal plume. Discuss the influence of element diffusion of hydrothermal plume on potential resources such as Manganese Nodule (crust), poly-metallic sediments and so on. Enrich the system of mineralization theories.

(2) Geomicrobiology of deep-sea environment

　　　 Understand the microbes’ life processes and find out the factors which have influence on them; discuss the function of microbes in element-enrichment and ore-forming processes；Rebuild the evolution history of deep-sea geological environment by molecular characteristics.

(3) the key technology of deep-sea exploration

　　　 Centering on the subject direction of deep-sea research, construct a three-dimensional marine geological exploration system; carry out systematic research on the key equipments, digital communication technology and data acquiring technology; develop new equipments and technology of submarine observation which can meet different demands; elevate the comprehensive ability of geological investigation in deep-sea-floor; provide technology supports for the achievements of research goals.

Research group of the Marine Geological Hazard and Prevent

Research group leader: YAN Jun

Research group of the Marine Geochemistry

Research group leader: ZENG Zhigang