Preliminary Report on Phase II of the Deep Fault Drilling Project, Alpine Fault, New Zealand (DFDP-2)

Drilling in the second phase of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP-2) is scheduled to commence in early October 2014 in the Whataroa Valley, South Westland, New Zealand. Researchers from more than a dozen countries intend to sample and instrument the Alpine Fault at a depth of c. 1 km and drill to a target depth of c. 1.3 km. The Alpine Fault generates large (Mw~8) earthquakes approximately every 330 years and last ruptured in 1717 AD. A key objective of DFDP-2 is thus to determine fault rock lithologies, geochemical and geophysical properties, and ambient conditions in the core of an earthquake-generating fault that is late in its typical earthquake cycle. This presentation will provide a preliminary overview of DFDP-2 activities, preliminary findings, and details of analyses planned for the coming year.