Deep-ocean researchers target tsunami zone near Japan

Rice University Earth scientist Dale Sawyer and colleagues have reported the discovery of a strong variation in the tectonic stresses in a region of the Pacific Ocean notorious for generating devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in southeastern Japan. The results came from an eight-week expedition last fall at the Nankai Trough near Kobe, Japan. The team used a high-tech drill ship to probe deep into a zone responsible for undersea earthquakes known to cause tsunamis.