Geoscience Australia Welcomes RV Investigator
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Geoscience Australia Welcomes RV Investigator

Australia's marine geoscience capability has been strengthened by the official commissioning of RV Investigator, the nation's newest scientific research vessel, on 12 December 2014. Geoscience Australia's chief executive officer Dr Chris Pigram said that the launch of the RV Investigator is a landmark event for all scientists who work offshore. The vessel provides the science community with a modern, highly capable platform from which to conduct research into Australia’s massive marine jurisdiction and beyond.

The vessel is also equipped with a variety of devices to take samples from the sea floor. By identifying the mineral composition of these samples, scientists can also learn more about the formation of the oceans and the geological history of the Earth, facilitating the identification of potential mineral and petroleum resources.

Australia's marine jurisdiction covers an area almost twice the size of the Australian landmass and remains relatively unexplored. As an island continent, Australia has sovereign rights over this vast area of ocean, and is responsible for the management and protection of the many different marine ecosystems and resources that sustain our way of life, according to Dr Pigram.

The RV Investigator uses a range of advanced geoscientific equipment to take samples, measurements and images of the sea floor and the rock beneath. Scientists use the results of their investigations to look back through the geological record to help them understand changes in the Earth's continents, oceans and atmosphere.

The enhanced capability provided by the new vessel greatly increases the opportunity for new discoveries in Australia's marine jurisdiction.

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