Inaugurated in May 2018, the 2,629 tonne Legend is managed by the National Applied Research Laboratories’ Taiwan Ocean Research Institute (TORI). An ocean floor seismometer developed by Taiwanese researchers is deployed in the Okinawa Trough in 2018. In September 2018, they deployed 35 OBSs in the trough and recovered 33 of them nine months later, Kuo said. The survey found that earthquakes below the northern trough can happen at depths of up to 300km, deeper than a previous observation of nearly 200km, he said. Developing more survey instruments instead of purchasing them from elsewhere is key to boosting research and industrial capacity, Kuo said.

Source: Taipei Times March 28, 2020 15:56 UTC