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Jumbo piston corer

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By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center June 23, 2020

Piston corers are generally used in areas with soft sediment, such as clay.

A marine technician works on a large metal apparatus on the deck of a ship with cables and a pully.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Engineering Technician Jenny McKee prepares the JPC for launching off research vessel R/V Bold Horizon off the coast of California and Oregon.

The Jumbo Piston Corer (JPC) is a coring system that combines a dynamically falling heavy gravity corer with an interior piston that works to expel water and draw sediment into the corer.  It is launched using a rail system, and can be configured in lengths from 10’ to 40’ (3m to 12m).  Piston corers, like gravity corers, are generally used in areas with soft sediment, such as clay. The addition of the internal piston allows the soft sediment to be captured without significant compression or disturbance.

 

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – Navy Engineering Lab (NEL) from WHOI design

  • Head Weight – 2,600 lbs (1,180 kgs)

  • Total System Weight (Including track system) - ~25,000 lbs.

  • Dimensions  - Assembled: 50’ x 8’ x 6’, Shipped: 1500 ft3

 

View from the sky looking down on the deck of a ship with people moving about the sampling and mapping equipment on deck.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Upgraded JPC being readied for deployment off R/V Hugh R. Sharp in April 2022.

Upgraded and Improved

Deep water camera and light installed in the head weight of the upgraded USGS jumbo piston corer

 

Large metal sediment coring device on the deck of a ship with a man sitting nearby, preparing a long plastic tube.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Deep water camera and light installed in the head weight of the upgraded JPC.  In the background, USGS Marine Engineering Technician Daniel Powers is preparing core liner for sediment collection. 

Operational Characteristics

  • Min Operational Depth - 50m

  • Max Operational Depth – limited only by amount of wire on ship

  • Sediment Type - Soft sediment, such as clay.

  • Limitations - Sand, rock, shell matrices.

  • Ship’s Requirements:

    • All overboarding gear rated to a SWL of 12 tons.

    • A-frame with minimum height of 15’ and at least two attachments for hanging blocks approximately 4’ apart.

    • 45’ of clear deck space forward from transom

    • Deck winch with line pull of at least 2,000 lbs for operating rail system

    • Deck winch with line pull of at least 1,000 lbs and drum capacity of at least 30m

    • Ability to hold station for duration of operation in variety of sea states.

 

Additional Equipment Required

  • Polybuterate liner, 3.43” ID liner

  • Refrigerated core storage, if needed

 

Complementary Systems

A box corer or gravity corer is often used prior to the JPC in sites of uncertain composition, to determine suitability for piston coring. They may also be used in conjunction with the JPC to return an undisturbed sample, as the JPC tends to blow out the softer sediments at the surface by the force of the impact and the bow wake of the cutter nose. The trigger core may sometimes return an undisturbed sample of the surface that can be correlated with the main corer to obtain a complete record.

 

On the stern of a ship, a crew works on a large piece of equipment that lies on the deck in a frame to hold it securely.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Jumbo piston corer (JPC)
Photo looks at the very end of a metal coring device with mud in it, sitting on the deck of a ship in its metal launch.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
After recovery, the JPC sits on the deck of research vessel Bold Horizon in its launch and recovery system. This muddy collar is removed to reveal the removable length of the core, which sits within a stiff plastic tube inside the metal tube.
man in hard hat standing behind a blue jumbo piston corer
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Peter Dal Ferro, USGS Marine Engineering Technician and lead fabricator on the JPC upgrade, monitors the testing of the JPC coring system on the R/V Hugh R. Sharp in March 2022.
Two people working on the deck of a ship to lower some sampling equipment into the water.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
USGS PCMSC Engineering Technicians Jenny White and Pete Dal Ferro deploy a piston core from the stern of Research Vessel Sharp.

Learn more about MarFac and the equipment and vessels we use in the field. Also, learn more about the projects that use the piston corer to collect samples.

link
A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More
link
A map illustration of the seafloor off of a coastal area, that shows the features like submarine canyons and depth.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
link

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
Learn More
link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
Colored shaded-relief bathymetry map of Monterey Canyon and Vicinity, California

Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
Learn More
link
A computed-generated image showing the Queen Charlotte Fault and nearshore area, using bathymetry and lidar data

Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska

Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Big Sur Landslides, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
link

Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska

Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
Learn More
link
A home, severely damaged by the tsunami that hit Sumatra on December 26, 2004, sits atop debris.

Tsunami Hazards, Modeling, and the Sedimentary Record

Basic research to develop the geologic record of paleotsunamis and improve the ability to interpret that record is needed to mitigate tsunami risk in the U.S.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, Subduction Zone Science
link

Tsunami Hazards, Modeling, and the Sedimentary Record

Basic research to develop the geologic record of paleotsunamis and improve the ability to interpret that record is needed to mitigate tsunami risk in the U.S.
Learn More
link
Map illustration showing fault lines and direction of tectonic plate movement along a stretch of the Alaskan coastline.

Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
Learn More
link
Small silver metal boat with USGS lettering on the side, water is splashing up on the side and a small wake is formed.

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
Learn More
Sampling Methane Seeps and Plumes on the U.S. Atlantic Margin

Sampling Methane Seeps and Plumes on the U.S. Atlantic Margin

USGS scientists and partners completed a research cruise on the research vessel (R/V) Hugh R. Sharp to acquire sediment and water samples, heat-flow...

Read Article

Piston corers are generally used in areas with soft sediment, such as clay.

A marine technician works on a large metal apparatus on the deck of a ship with cables and a pully.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Engineering Technician Jenny McKee prepares the JPC for launching off research vessel R/V Bold Horizon off the coast of California and Oregon.

The Jumbo Piston Corer (JPC) is a coring system that combines a dynamically falling heavy gravity corer with an interior piston that works to expel water and draw sediment into the corer.  It is launched using a rail system, and can be configured in lengths from 10’ to 40’ (3m to 12m).  Piston corers, like gravity corers, are generally used in areas with soft sediment, such as clay. The addition of the internal piston allows the soft sediment to be captured without significant compression or disturbance.

 

Specifications

  • Manufacturer – Navy Engineering Lab (NEL) from WHOI design

  • Head Weight – 2,600 lbs (1,180 kgs)

  • Total System Weight (Including track system) - ~25,000 lbs.

  • Dimensions  - Assembled: 50’ x 8’ x 6’, Shipped: 1500 ft3

 

View from the sky looking down on the deck of a ship with people moving about the sampling and mapping equipment on deck.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Upgraded JPC being readied for deployment off R/V Hugh R. Sharp in April 2022.

Upgraded and Improved

Deep water camera and light installed in the head weight of the upgraded USGS jumbo piston corer

 

Large metal sediment coring device on the deck of a ship with a man sitting nearby, preparing a long plastic tube.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Deep water camera and light installed in the head weight of the upgraded JPC.  In the background, USGS Marine Engineering Technician Daniel Powers is preparing core liner for sediment collection. 

Operational Characteristics

  • Min Operational Depth - 50m

  • Max Operational Depth – limited only by amount of wire on ship

  • Sediment Type - Soft sediment, such as clay.

  • Limitations - Sand, rock, shell matrices.

  • Ship’s Requirements:

    • All overboarding gear rated to a SWL of 12 tons.

    • A-frame with minimum height of 15’ and at least two attachments for hanging blocks approximately 4’ apart.

    • 45’ of clear deck space forward from transom

    • Deck winch with line pull of at least 2,000 lbs for operating rail system

    • Deck winch with line pull of at least 1,000 lbs and drum capacity of at least 30m

    • Ability to hold station for duration of operation in variety of sea states.

 

Additional Equipment Required

  • Polybuterate liner, 3.43” ID liner

  • Refrigerated core storage, if needed

 

Complementary Systems

A box corer or gravity corer is often used prior to the JPC in sites of uncertain composition, to determine suitability for piston coring. They may also be used in conjunction with the JPC to return an undisturbed sample, as the JPC tends to blow out the softer sediments at the surface by the force of the impact and the bow wake of the cutter nose. The trigger core may sometimes return an undisturbed sample of the surface that can be correlated with the main corer to obtain a complete record.

 

On the stern of a ship, a crew works on a large piece of equipment that lies on the deck in a frame to hold it securely.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Jumbo piston corer (JPC)
Photo looks at the very end of a metal coring device with mud in it, sitting on the deck of a ship in its metal launch.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
After recovery, the JPC sits on the deck of research vessel Bold Horizon in its launch and recovery system. This muddy collar is removed to reveal the removable length of the core, which sits within a stiff plastic tube inside the metal tube.
man in hard hat standing behind a blue jumbo piston corer
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Peter Dal Ferro, USGS Marine Engineering Technician and lead fabricator on the JPC upgrade, monitors the testing of the JPC coring system on the R/V Hugh R. Sharp in March 2022.
Two people working on the deck of a ship to lower some sampling equipment into the water.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
USGS PCMSC Engineering Technicians Jenny White and Pete Dal Ferro deploy a piston core from the stern of Research Vessel Sharp.

Learn more about MarFac and the equipment and vessels we use in the field. Also, learn more about the projects that use the piston corer to collect samples.

link
A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More
link
A map illustration of the seafloor off of a coastal area, that shows the features like submarine canyons and depth.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
link

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
Learn More
link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
Colored shaded-relief bathymetry map of Monterey Canyon and Vicinity, California

Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
Learn More
link
A computed-generated image showing the Queen Charlotte Fault and nearshore area, using bathymetry and lidar data

Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska

Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Big Sur Landslides, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
link

Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska

Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
Learn More
link
A home, severely damaged by the tsunami that hit Sumatra on December 26, 2004, sits atop debris.

Tsunami Hazards, Modeling, and the Sedimentary Record

Basic research to develop the geologic record of paleotsunamis and improve the ability to interpret that record is needed to mitigate tsunami risk in the U.S.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, Subduction Zone Science
link

Tsunami Hazards, Modeling, and the Sedimentary Record

Basic research to develop the geologic record of paleotsunamis and improve the ability to interpret that record is needed to mitigate tsunami risk in the U.S.
Learn More
link
Map illustration showing fault lines and direction of tectonic plate movement along a stretch of the Alaskan coastline.

Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
link

Earthquake Hazards in Southeastern Alaska

Over the last 100 years, the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system has produced large-magnitude earthquakes affecting both Canada and the U.S. To fill in missing details about its offshore location and structure, USGS uses sophisticated techniques to truly understand the fault’s hazard potential.
Learn More
link
Small silver metal boat with USGS lettering on the side, water is splashing up on the side and a small wake is formed.

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
Learn More
Sampling Methane Seeps and Plumes on the U.S. Atlantic Margin

Sampling Methane Seeps and Plumes on the U.S. Atlantic Margin

USGS scientists and partners completed a research cruise on the research vessel (R/V) Hugh R. Sharp to acquire sediment and water samples, heat-flow...

Read Article
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