Preparing the jumbo piston corer

USGS marine technician Jenny McKee prepares the jumbo piston corer for launching off research vessel Bold Horizon off the coast of California and Oregon. The corer will collect sediment samples from the seafloor. Scientists will examine the sediment to determine its age, character, and distribution. This area off the west coast of the U.S. is prone to hazardous events such as earthquakes and underwater landslides that can trigger tsunamis. The sediment characteristics are just one piece of the puzzle as scientists work to determine whether these hazardous events will occur again in the future, and how they might threaten coastal communities.