Media release
22 February 2008
Funding to establish the Underground Eye
Nearly $9 million has been allocated to bring a renowned team to New Zealand to keep an eye below the surface for
volcanic and seismic activity and the location of natural resources.
The Underground Eye project has been awarded $8.84 million through the government’s new Strategic Relocation Fund. The
grant allows for the relocation of an international team of researchers to New Zealand, along with establishment of
equipment and facilities required to monitor and research seismic, volcanic and other activities below the surface of
the Earth.
The Underground Eye team consists of six scientists and engineers, led by Professor Peter Malin, inaugural Director of
the Institute of Earth Science and Engineering at The University of Auckland. The team is recognised internationally for
its expertise in imaging beneath the Earth’s surface, using combinations of surface and sub-surface techniques.
The Underground Eye project will develop new methods and research into the geophysical landscape of New Zealand,
allowing the discovery of geothermal power and fossil fuel resources, monitoring of faults and volcanic fields for signs
of impending events, and providing an integrated, 3-dimensional subsurface view of New Zealand.
Professor Malin, previously at Duke University, USA, is a renowned geophysicist, and has been lead investigator on a
number of projects globally in the field. Recently, he and his team have been instrumental in establishing the San
Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), which monitors activity in the fault line at a depth of 3km below the
surface, and working with Geopower Basel in the development of a new geothermal power plant.
“New Zealand is a very exciting place for geophysical activity,” says Professor Malin. “Through the Underground Eye
project we hope to get a better understanding of the events below the surface, which will ultimately assist in hazard
management and exploration for resources. It is also incredibly important, particularly in such a seismically-active
area, to build an understanding of the landscape and how human activities, such as mining or harnessing geothermal
power, can affect the balance and lead to seismic events, such as earthquakes.”
The Strategic Relocation Fund facilitates world-leading researchers who are working in areas of strategic interest to
New Zealand to relocate here and establish research teams. The SRF is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand
on behalf of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. The ongoing aim of the SRF is that the research will
create sustainable wealth creation opportunities for New Zealand.
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