The predecessor of Laboratory of Marine Geology & Environment, CAS, was the Laboratory of Marine Geology and Geophysics, IOCAS, which was the earliest marine geology research collective in China. In May 2006, the Chinese Academy of Sciences approved the promotion and renaming of the "Open Laboratory of Marine Geological Processes and Palaeoenvironment, IOCAS" to the "Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment, CAS (Preparatory)". In December 2008, following evaluation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences approved the formal entry of the "Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment (IOCAS)" into the sequence of CAS Key Laboratories. The Key Laboratory organically coordinates and unifies exploration of Earth System Science with the strategic goals of national security and rights, economic construction, and societal development. Focusing on national demands, it provides crucial scientific and technological support for addressing major fundamental and critical scientific challenges in national economic development, social progress, and national defense.

● Laboratory Positioning

Anchored at the frontier of international Earth System Science and aligned with major national strategic needs, the Laboratory leverages the scientific value and geographical advantages of the Western Pacific as a key window into the Earth system. It focuses on the fundamental scientific problem of "Geological Processes in the Western Pacific and their Resource and Environmental Effects", conducting multidisciplinary, cross-scale integrated research. It aims to address critical demands related to global and Western Pacific climate, environment, hazards, resources, and national security. The Laboratory serves as a base and cradle for cultivating outstanding marine geology scientific talent and strives to build a nationally influential research platform with international impact, providing scientific underpinning for realizing the national strategy of "Building a Strong Maritime Nation".

● Laboratory Research Directions and Contents

Based on the above positioning, the Laboratory has established three primary research directions: Deep-Sea Structure and Geodynamic Processes, Marine Records of Global Change and Sedimentary Processes, and Geological Processes in Deep-Sea Extreme Environments and Exploration Technologies. Direction I, Direction II, and Direction III collectively tackle the fundamental scientific problem, progressing from the deep tectonic structure to surface geological processes of the Western Pacific (from deep interior to surface), integrating science and technology.

Research Direction I: Deep-Sea Structure and Geodynamic Processes

1. Seafloor Tectonics and Lithospheric Dynamics

2. Oceanic Lithosphere Evolution and Mantle Dynamics

Research Direction II: Marine Records of Global Change and Sedimentary Processes

1. Western Pacific Circulation Evolution and its Response to Global Change

2. Source-to-Sink Processes along the Asian Continental Margins and the Tectonic-Climate Linkage

Research Direction III: Geological Processes in Deep-Sea Extreme Environments and Exploration Technologies

1. Formation, Evolution, Resource Potential, and Environmental Effects of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent/Cold Seep Systems

2. Development and Application of Deep-Sea In-Situ Detection Technologies