Scientists survey seabed fractured by Japan quake

Scientists on Thursday launched a mission to the seabed off Japan where a massive quake triggered last year's devastating tsunami, to get their first proper look at the buckled ocean floor.

Researchers from Germany and Japan are sending high-tech vehicles to probe the seabed up to 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below the surface where the massive seismic shock hit last March.

"We want to deploy instruments on the sea floor and also map the area to see the large changes caused by the earthquake," said Gerold Wefer, who is leading the project.

His team said the data gathered from the month-long mission covering a rupture zone stretching hundreds of kilometres (miles) would help them understand the mechanism of huge quakes and the tsunamis they can spawn. Read More