IODP Deep Stratigraphic Drilling Proposal for Lord Howe Rise

A proposal outlines plans for deep riser drilling up to 2500 meters below the seafloor on the Lord Howe Rise continental ribbon. The project, led by Geoscience Australia and JAMSTEC, aims to recover Cretaceous and older sediments to study tectonic and climatic history. Preparatory seismic surveys were conducted in 2016, with drilling planned for 2019 or 2020.

Use Cases

• Analyze seismic reflection and refraction data to map regional crustal structure and basement depth beneath proposed drill sites.
• Use recovered biomarker and micropaleontology data to constrain Cretaceous paleoclimate and ocean biogeochemistry in the southwest Pacific.
• Study core samples from Cretaceous and older sediments to define the role of continental crustal ribbons in plate tectonic cycles.
• Test evolutionary concepts for sub-seafloor microbial life by analyzing samples recovered over a 100-million-year timeframe.
• Integrate geotechnical data from detailed site surveys with seismic models to plan successful deep stratigraphic well drilling.

Strengths

• Proposal rated 'excellent' by the IODP Science Evaluation Panel in January 2017.
• Plans for drilling to a significant depth of up to 2500 meters below the seafloor.
• Includes preparatory 2D seismic reflection and refraction data acquired in 2016.

Limitations

• Dataset appears to be a proposal and planning documentation, not actual drilling results or core sample data.
• Temporal coverage of the actual core data is prospective (planned for 2019/2020) and may not be available.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and JAMSTEC, submitted to the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).

Collection Method

Proposed deep riser drilling and coring, supplemented by marine seismic surveys.

Time Range

Prospective drilling for 2019 or 2020; preparatory surveys conducted in 2016 and late 2017.

Freshness

Proposal submitted in October 2015; last platform update recorded as 2026-04-04.

Geography

Lord Howe Rise in the Tasman Sea, southwest Pacific Ocean.