MBARI's newest research vessel completes first science expedition

David Packard, the research vessel recently acquired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), has completed her first science expedition, during which her embarked scientists produced new high-resolution maps of the Oregon seafloor.

MBARI researchers produced a high-resolution map of Oregon’s Rogue Canyon system—an undersea landscape in the Cascadia Subduction Zone that they believe holds vital clues to predicting future earthquakes and tsunamis.

MBARI said this achievement was made possible by our David Packard's state-of-the-art multibeam echosounder, which can visualise the deep seafloor in remarkable detail.

In July 2025, MBARI’s Seafloor Mapping Lab, working closely with David Packard's crew, conducted a 17-day expedition to put the echosounder through its first real-world tests.

"With this state-of-the-art ship, we can map areas of interest, identify precise locations to deploy MBARI’s innovative technology, and begin to answer critical questions about marine life, ecosystems, and processes," said MBARI President and CEO Antje Boetius.

Spanning from Northern California to British Columbia, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 1,000-kilometre fault located approximately 100 to 200 kilometres offshore where the Juan de Fuca and Gorda tectonic plates slide beneath the North American plate. This region has a long history of generating massive earthquakes and tsunamis, making it a top priority for geohazard research.

Since 2020, MBARI’s Continental Margin Processes Team has collaborated with US Geological Survey to study this region of the seafloor.

MBARI said this work provides insights that help resource managers and policymakers assess geohazard risks to coastal communities and underwater infrastructure. Rogue Canyon, which is carved into the continental margin offshore of Cape Blanco, Oregon, is a key feature in this system.

The canyon’s shape and sediment deposits preserve a record of past seismic activity, offering vital clues to what might come next, according to MBARI.

MBARI said its new ship-based surveys add critical context to two earlier AUV-based mapping projects that it conducted in 2021 and 2022 in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The combined datasets will help researchers pinpoint the best sites for collecting sediment cores, which will be essential for refining earthquake timelines and modeling future hazards.