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Baba Lab (Ocean Hemisphere Research Center)
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A lab that measures electromagnetic fields on the seafloor to explore the dynamics of Earth's interior.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing Earth's interior from the seafloor.
The Baba Lab uses electromagnetic observations to study the structure of Earth's interior and the motion of the mantle.
The lab places instruments on the seafloor to record variations in natural electromagnetic fields, and from them estimates how easily electricity flows underground (electrical conductivity structure).
Its targets are found in oceans around the world, including plate boundaries such as mid-ocean ridges and trenches, hotspots, and flat ocean basins.
As needed, the lab also develops and improves observation instruments and analysis methods, and conducts joint research with institutions in Japan and abroad.
Key terms
- Electrical conductivity structure
- The distribution of where in the subsurface electricity flows easily and where it does not. It offers clues about rock temperature and the presence of water or melt.
- Mantle
- The thick layer of rock between Earth's crust and core. It flows slowly.
- Hotspot
- A place where volcanoes form because hot material rises from deep underground, independently of plate motion.
ResearchResearch themes
Using electromagnetic observation methods, the lab maps Earth's interior, mainly the mantle, as electrical conductivity structure and discusses its dynamics. Because observations in the oceans, which cover about 70% of Earth's surface, are essential, the lab conducts observations in oceans around the world.
*Illustrative imageSeafloor magnetotelluric (MT) surveys
An observation method that uses electromagnetic induction in the subsurface, caused by variations in Earth's magnetic field, to investigate the distribution of electrical conductivity. The lab carries this out on the seafloor.
*Illustrative imageOcean Bottom Electro-Magnetometers (OBEMs)
The instruments used for seafloor MT surveys. On the seafloor, they measure variations in the magnetic field and in the electric potential difference between electrodes. They are dropped from the sea surface and sink freely to the seafloor.
*Illustrative imageInvestigating the upper mantle beneath the ocean
Research that investigates the electrical conductivity structure of the oceanic upper mantle, as a clue to understanding mantle dynamics and plate tectonics.
*Illustrative imageObservations at the bend of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain
A planned joint project with a German research group to carry out combined seafloor electromagnetic and seismic observations on the eastern side of the area where the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain bends. The aim is to clarify the viscosity structure of the oceanic asthenosphere.
MembersFaculty
- Associate ProfessorKiyoshi BabaPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Ocean Bathymetry (NESDIS Bathymetry)” NOAA / Public domain (cropped)
- Seafloor magnetotelluric (MT) surveys: “LEMI405” user:seleonov / Public domain (cropped)
- Ocean Bottom Electro-Magnetometers (OBEMs): “GEOFLAMME cruise - Underwater photo of an Ocean-Bottom Seismometers (OBS) on the seafloor (Ifremer )” Ifremer / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Investigating the upper mantle beneath the ocean: “Hawaiian seamount chain” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Observations at the bend of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain: “EmperorSeamounts” cropped by User:Seattle Skier / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takei Lab): “Olivine in polarizing light” Islam90 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Koyama Lab): “Mount Mihara ( )” Guilhem Vellut / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Shimizu Lab): “Mercury in color - Prockter07-edit1” National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Shinohara Lab (Marine Seismology Group / Seafloor Seismic and Crustal Deformation Observation)): “Ocean Bottom Seismometer made by ERI, U-Tokyo” Theodore Xu / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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