Academician Zhu Rixiang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences came to Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). As a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he came to lecture on “Ocean Drilling – The Cutting Edge of Earth Science Innovation.” SUSTech President Chen Shiyi chaired the lecture.

Zhu Rixiang received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Shanxi University in 1978, his master’s degree in geophysics from the Institute of Geophysics, CAS in 1984, and his Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from the Institute of Geology, CAS in 1989. Among his scientific honors, Zhu Rixiang was elected an academician of the CAS in 2003 and a Fellow of the TWAS (originally named “Third World Academy of Sciences”) in 2005. He received an honorary doctor at the University of Orleans (France) in 2006 and became a Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2011. His main research has focused on several aspects, including the paleointensity of the geomagnetic field and its implications for the geodynamo, geomagnetic polarity transitions and the geodynamo, magnetostratigraphic dating, craton evolution, global tectonics, and instrument development.

In his lecture, Zhu Rixiang pointed out that while humans have already departed the earth’s atmosphere, but much of the earth’s mantle and crust remains unexplored. While the earth’s crust is usually about 40 kilometers thick, the oceanic crust is relatively thin at 6 kilometers thick. Therefore, the oceanic crust is the best choice for drilling into the earth’s crust and mantle.

He talked about the contribution and challenges facing China. The pride was clear on his face when Zhu Rixiang spoke about the future launch of China’s first ocean drilling vessel, due to launch in 2021. The vessel, named Dream, reflects the forward-looking plans of China’s earth scientists and provides a range of opportunities for ocean exploration. He also spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing Chinese marine scientists. Zhu refereed specifically to the large knowledge gaps regarding the ocean floor. He said the future scientific goals would include examining the ocean floor in its entirety to understand the seabed, the evolution of life at great depth, subduction, and fluid-solidification of tectonic plates.

Several opportunities for interdisciplinary studies were broached for expanding this dynamic and innovative field.

There were many questions from the audience following the lecture. Zhu Rixiang complimented the SUSTech students for their knowledge and innovative thinking.