IODP Deep Stratigraphic Drilling Proposal for Lord Howe Rise

A 2015-2017 proposal outlines plans for deep riser drilling up to 2500 meters below the seafloor on the Lord Howe Rise continental ribbon. The dataset describes objectives to study tectonic cycles, Cretaceous paleoclimate via biomarkers and micropaleontology, and sub-seafloor microbial life over a 100-million-year timeframe. Preparations included 2016 and 2017 seismic and geotechnical surveys to map crustal structure and characterize drill sites.

Use Cases

• Analyze seismic reflection and refraction data from the 2016 survey to map regional crustal structure and basement character beneath proposed drill sites.
• Study recovered Cretaceous biomarker and micropaleontology data to constrain high-latitude paleoclimate and ocean biogeochemistry changes in the southwest Pacific.
• Investigate crustal segmentation evidence from initial velocity models linked to Tasman Sea fracture zone lineaments.
• Use geotechnical and high-resolution seabed data from the 2017 survey 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 depth of up to 2500 meters below the seafloor to core Cretaceous and older sediments.
• Survey data helped constrain crustal thickness beneath the Lord Howe Rise to about 20 km.

Limitations

• Dataset is a proposal and planning document; actual drilling and core sample data are not included.
• Specific data columns, row counts, and file formats for analytical use are not provided.
• Temporal coverage of the resulting geological data is prospective (planned for 2019 or 2020).

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Proposal development and preparatory seismic/geotechnical surveys.

Time Range

Proposal submitted 2015, evaluation 2017, drilling planned for 2019 or 2020.

Freshness

null

Geography

Lord Howe Rise in the Tasman Sea, southwest Pacific.