GOLDSTREAM NEWS GAZETTE - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 www.goldstreamgazette.com • A3

Erin McCracken News staff

Jim Geunther has had time to get used to the fact that some of his work is now underwater and as far away as Japan.

The Langford resident’s metal handiwork is once again about to be installed below the ocean floor during a 10-day scientific expedition that will allow researchers to study the Earth’s underwater crust and perhaps even predict earthquakes — fur-ther cementing Canada as a world leader in ocean sciences.

“I don’t think about that when I’m doing it,” said the machinist and fabricator. Geunther, owner of Rampro Welding & Machine, has been contracted for Institute of Ocean Sciences projects for more than 20 years. “I’ve made truckloads of differ-ent metal frameworks. I can’t even start to remember.”

Research scientists like Earl Davis, a geo-physicist who is leading the mission, typi-cally come to Geunther with an idea and a need. Geunther most recently crafted 10 metal frames shaped like small rocket ships.

“They come with the challenge and then we work it out together,” Geunther said. “It’s far more technical. There’s really no room for error.”

One of his “rocket ship” cases is now equipped with high-tech gauges and sen-sors and is inside the belly of the U.S. research drilling ship JOIDES Resolution, which left Ogden Point in early September.

The vessel will be weighing anchor 60

kilometres off the coast of Tofino where a drill will be lowered 1,300 metres before boring a hole 350 metres into sediment — deep enough to collect core samples and take readings.

They’ll strategically stop the drill just before it hits a seismic fault zone — hope-fully the ideal place where scientists can

collect information that may teach them how to forecast earthquakes.

“It’s going to happen sooner or later,” Davis said referring to the eventuality of a major earthquake. “We need an offshore presence to understand the dynamics of the system.”

Similar to other holes drilled off the

Island’s coast and around the world, this puncture will become an undersea obser-vatory when corked with instruments that will feed readings to data-hungry scientists like Davis, who works with the Pacific Geoscience Centre in North Saan-ich. Geunther’s metal creation frames the brains of the cork and will reside on the ocean floor.

“This is much more exciting than being there and much less expensive,” Davis explained. “This is even better. (The probe) is a constant presence.”

Next year, instruments in the hole will be connected with fibre optic cables to the University of Victoria’s Neptune Centre. Researchers and the public could then study and marvel over the live readings via the Internet for free.

“You can’t just call your local cable com-pany,” Davis laughed. “(Hooking it to Nep-tune) is tentative, but it’s all very doable.”

The project has been three years in the making, so the pressure is on to ensure the single hole is successfully drilled despite any inclement weather. In addi-tion to Davis’ research team and 130 crew members, visiting educators will also be onboard.

While he was eager to get going, the scientist feels he has already achieved so much by including people with specialized talents in the planning stages.

“That’s what has made the drilling proj-ect fun,” said Davis.

For more information, visit www.neptun-ecanada.ca or www.corkobservatories.org.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com

Researchers set out to probe fault lines

Erin McCracken/News staff

Senior research scientist Earl Davis shows part of an undersea probe that will be inserted into a fault zone off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Davis is leading the expedition on the drill-equipped JOIDES Resolution research vessel.

Images from the Luxton Fall Fair

For more Fall Fair photos, see www.goldstreamgazette.com

Edward Hill/News staff

(Above) Trevor Millie, 6, gets a first-hand experience milking a cow.

Erin McCracken/News staff

(Left) Kayla Pade and Kendall Hoogendoorn, both 10, enjoy the view from the Ferris wheel on Friday.

Erin McCracken/News staff

Jennifer Waters of Victoria watches as her grandsons take a turn on the rides at the fair midway on Friday.

Erin McCracken/News staff

Blue cotton candy never tasted so good as it did at the Luxton Fall Fair Friday for Belmont secondary students Dakota Webb of Langford and Colwood’s Daniel Townsend.

Edward Hill/News staff

Steve Valcourt points out the queen bee to his four-year-old son Anthony at the honeybee display Sunday at the Luxton Fall Fair.