DrillNZ Newsletter (May 2015)
Applications to sail on one IODP mission (IODP Exp. 364: Chicxulub Impact Crater: A Joint
IODP-ICDP Mission Specific Platform Expedition) are open for one more week.
Congratulations to Gavin Dunbar (Victoria University of Wellington) on obtaining the NZ
IODP office grant to work on IODP/ODP/DSDP legacy material. Gavin will join forces with
Nerilie Abrams (ANU) to investigate “The origin of the Central Great Barrier Reef”.
Congratulations are also due to John Rolison (University of Otago), selected as ANZIC
participant in IODP Expedition 361 “Southern African Climates & Agulhas Current Density
Profile (SAFARI)” scheduled to sail from Jan 30 - Mar 31, 2016 from Port Louis to Capetown.
The website (http://drill.gns.cri.nz) has been updated.
Upcoming Deadlines:
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IODP Expedition 364 (Application deadline: 15 May 2015)
Current and Upcoming Events/Meetings:
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JOIDES Resolution Facility Board Meeting (12 - 13 May 2015, Arlington, VA)
http://www.iodp.org/facility-boards
Workshop for Scientific Drilling in the Indian Ocean Crust and Mantle (13 - 14 May
2015, Woods Hole, MA) http://web.whoi.edu/indian-ocean-drilling/
MagellanPlus Workshop “Mantle, Water and Life: the ultramafic-hosted Rainbow
hydrothermal field” (June 10-12, 2015; Lyon, France): http://rainbow2015.univlyon1.fr/en/pages/rainbow2015-home
IODP Science Evaluation Panel meeting (29 - 30 June 2015, Brest, France)
http://www.iodp.org/facility-boards
IODP Forum in Canberra (8-10 July, 2015): http://www.iodp.org/iodp-forum
Urbino Summer School in Paleoclimatology (15 July – 1 August 2015, Urbino, Italy):
http://www.essac.ecord.org/flyer/FLYER_USSP_2015.pdf
JOIDES Resolution docking in Fremantle (30 July, 2015, Exp. 356 start)
JOIDES Resolution docking in Darwin (30 Sept., 2015, Exp. 356 end)
For a more comprehensive list (links on the right): http://drill.gns.cri.nz/DrillNZ/Latest-News
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ANZIC (Australian and New Zealand IODP Consortium)-related Program info
Proposal submitted to the Australian Research Council
ANZIC submitted, before the 9 April 2015 deadline, a bid to the Australian Research Council
for Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) funding of $A2.2 million p.a., to
allow continuation of activities at the present level for five years. Richard Arculus (ANU) is the
lead institution and 15 Australian partners contribute $A875,000 p.a. to the bid. New Zealand
partners will be led by GNS Science and will contribute funding of $US300,000 p.a. Rejoinders
are expected to come out in June, 2015, and funding results announced in October/November,
2015.
Summary Report of Dunedin ANZIC Governing Council Meeting (Feb 24 2015)
The ANZIC Council met over 1 day in Dunedin, hosted by Gary Wilson. Predominantly, the
meeting discussed items pertaining to the ARC/LIEF proposal (see item above).
Current Status of IODP Proposals involving ANZIC:
To be scheduled at next JRFB (JOIDES Resolution Facility Board) meeting, May 2015:
- Revised JR full Proposal 751 “West Antarctic Ice sheet Climate”, Rob McKay, VUW
- MSP/JR full Proposal 818 “Brothers Arc Flux”, Cornel de Ronde, GNS
Already at JRFB (JOIDES Resolution Facility Board) for scheduling:
- MSP/JR full proposal 781A “Hikurangi Observatory”, Demian Saffer, Penn State
Revised version to be submitted to SEP, July 2015 (if reviews positive, to JRFB at next meeting):
- JR full proposal 832 “Tasman Frontier Subduction”, Rupert Sutherland, GNS
Presentation to JRFB in May 2015, currently in holding bin (could be moved to scheduling):
- JR APL 841, links to 781A “Hikurangi Margin Landslides, Ingo Pecher, Auckland/GNS
Short Summary of last ECORD Facility Board Meeting (March 25-26 2015, Aix-enProvence, France)
Stephen Gallagher and Leanne Armand attended for ANZIC, having an allocation of one
scientist on each expedition. Upcoming expeditions decisions:
 Expedition 357 "Atlantis Massif Serpentinization and Life" is to sail later this year and
had five Australian applicants. ANU PhD student Morgan Williams has been selected as
a geochemist for Science Party description and sampling meeting in Bremen, early 2016.
 The Antarctic Climate Expedition 813 "Greenhouse to Icehouse Antarctic paleoclimate
and ice history from George V Land and Adélie Land shelf sediments" (Phil O'Brien is
one of the proponents) is now scheduled for the fiscal year 2018, and is to be drilled with
the proven MEBO south of Australia.
 Proposal 708 "Arctic Ocean Paleoceanography: Towards a Continuous Cenozoic Record
from a Greenhouse to an Icehouse World (ACEX2)" is now scheduled as an expedition
for the fiscal year 2018.
 Consideration of Jody Webster's very highly ranked Hawaiian Reefs Expedition 718 is
deferred until MEBO-200 deeper-drilling seabed drill fully operational, perhaps in 2020.
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Short Summary: Workshop on Lord Howe Rise Proposal 871 (held in Sydney, April 2015)
GeoscienceAustralia/JAMSTEC proposal for jointly funded Lord Howe Rise Cretaceous drilling
might occur in 2017 and could lead on to Hikurangi margin drilling. The Lord Howe PreProposal 871-CPP is now moving to a full proposal which will be submitted to SEP by 1
October, with enthusiasm at both GA and JAMSTEC and an excellent chance of going on to
next year's CIB (Chikyu Facility Board) meeting for scheduling. The meeting was attended by
Nick Mortimer (GNS).
Apply to Sail:
Call for Applications – IODP Expedition 364
The ANZIC Office is now accepting applications for scientific participation for Expedition 364
Chicxulub Impact Crater: A Joint IODP-ICDP Mission Specific Platform Expedition. Taking
place in 2016, and organised by the ECORD Science Operator (ESO)
Scientific background: The full proposal, as well as up-to-date expedition information, can be
found on the Expedition 364 webpage http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php. A
good overview is provided by the Addendum, which covers the latest plans. It is anticipated that
the offshore phase of the expedition will last up to 70 days in the period April to June 2016
(exact duration and dates to be confirmed), with only a subset of the Science Party participating.
Offshore activities will focus on core recovery, curation, sampling for ephemeral properties
including microbiological sampling, and downhole logging. The cores will not be split at sea.
Subsequently, an Onshore Science Party (OSP) will be held at the MARUM, University of
Bremen, in Summer/Fall 2016 (exact dates to be confirmed), where the cores will be split. The
OSP is expected to be up to 4 weeks long, the exact length dependent on core recovery. All
members of the Science Party must attend for the whole duration of the Onshore Science Party.
Please see http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/osp.php. Successful applicants will be invited
either as an offshore-onshore participant, or as an onshore-only participant. It is unlikely that any
ANZIC participant will be invited to join the offshore party.
This is an exciting opportunity for a wide range of scientists interested in the Chicxulub impact
crater and its broader implications. Specialists in a wide range of fields will be considered for the
expedition including paleontology, sedimentology, microbiology, organic geochemistry, inorganic
geochemistry, structural geology, impact petrology, metamorphic petrology, paleomagnetics,
physical properties, geophysics and petrophysics/downhole logging.
The drilling will deal with several questions related to large impact crater formation on Earth and
other planets, and the effects of large impacts on the Earth’s environment and ecology. The
expedition target is the unique Chicxulub impact crater, Mexico, which is the only known
terrestrial impact structure that has been directly linked to a mass extinction event (the K-Pg
mass extinction). Of the three largest impact structures on Earth it is the best-preserved, and is
the only terrestrial crater with a global ejecta layer. Additionally, it is the only known terrestrial
impact structure with an unequivocal topographic “peak ring.”
This expedition aims to drill and core into the Chicxulub impact structure to recover cores from,
and above, the peak ring. In doing so, the expedition aims to address several questions,
including: 1) what rocks comprise a topographic peak ring (basement, breccia or something
else?) and how are peak rings formed; 2) how are rocks weakened during large impacts to allow
them to collapse and form relatively wide, flat craters; 3) what caused the environmental changes
that led to a mass extinction and what insights arise from biologic recovery in the Paleogene; and
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4) what effect does a large impact have on the deep subsurface biosphere and can impacts
generate habitats for chemosynthetic life?
The expedition will drill and core a single 1500 m deep borehole at a site about 30km northwest
of Progreso, Mexico, on the Yucatan shelf, Gulf of Mexico (see webpage
http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php.). For further details from ESO, please
contact: David McInroy, ESO Science Manager, [email protected]
An Information Webinar was held on Tuesday 21st April 2015, and you can access a recording
at https://esomsp.adobeconnect.com/p3t87vcvn96/
General: This is a great opportunity for scientists, including post-graduate students, to get
involved in cutting edge science with a team from around the world addressing one of
geoscience's most exciting phenomena. Can senior scientists please consider whether they know
of outstanding post-graduate students who could put about six months work (in toto) into such
an undertaking? For all applicants, and especially students, we will need to be assured that
applicants intend to stay in Australia or New Zealand to work on this activity, and have access to
departmental facilities, for a reasonable time post-cruise - ideally a couple of years.
For ANZIC scientists all travel costs will be covered. In addition the ANZIC IODP Office may
provide up to $A40,000 for post-cruise activities (mainly analytical costs) for Australian and
New Zealand university and research institution scientists and post-graduate students, if funding
cannot be obtained in any other way. Applications for such funding can only be made after
expeditions are completed and samples are in hand.
The deadline for scientists to submit applications to ANZIC has just passed, but we may grant a
one week extension to no later than May 15th. This is an excellent opportunity for scientists,
doctoral students or post docs to collaborate with an international team of scientists.
Australians should visit www.iodp.edu.au for a link to the application form, a completed version
of which should be sent to Neville Exon ([email protected]) and Rob McKay
([email protected]). New Zealanders should contact Giuseppe Cortese
([email protected]).
Guidelines for application here: http://drill.gns.cri.nz/DrillNZ/Ocean-Drilling/How-to-apply
Workshop on “Scientific Drilling in the Indian Ocean Crust and Mantle” (May 13-16,
2015, Wood Hole, Massachusetts)
This workshop will bring together scientists to (1) provide an overview of the origin and
evolution of the Southwest Indian Ridge including results of recent research, (2) obtain
community input into science planning for Expedition 360 (the start of the SloMo Project to
drill through the lower crust to Moho in the Indian Ocean), (3) form a proponent group for
drilling the tectonic and geologic evolution of the Dragon Flag Hydrothermal Area on the
Southwest Indian Ridge, and (4) promote new objectives for a 2nd round of JOIDES Resolution
drilling in the Indian Ocean. The workshop will include a wide range of invited talks on
tectonics, geochemistry, petrology, and crustal accretion in the Indian Ocean, as well as
contributed talks and a poster session. More info, including a preliminary agenda, here.
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Media Releases:
International media coverage of IODP
 Core shows orbital impact on East Antarctica (26 October 2014, Nature Geoscience,
online) http://www.reportingclimatescience.com/news-stories/article/core-showsorbital-impact-on-east-antarctica.html
New IODP Reports:
 Exp. 336 Data report (Mid-Atlantic Ridge):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/336/204/204_.htm
 Exp. 327 Data report (Juan de Fuca Ridge):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/327/202/202_.htm
 Exp. 353 Preliminary report (Indian Monsoon):
http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/353/
 Exp. 359 Scientific Prospectus (Indian Ocean):
http://publications.iodp.org/scientific_prospectus/359/359ADD/index.html
 Exp. 322 Data report (Shikoku Basin):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/322/211/211_.htm
 Exp. 349 Expedition Report (South China Sea Tectonics):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/349/349title.html
 Exp. 346 Expedition Report (Asian Monsoon):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/346/346title.htm
 Exp. 335 Data report (East Pacific Rise):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/335/201/201_.htm
 Exp. 360 Scientific Prospectus (Southwest Indian Ridge Lower Crust and Moho):
http://publications.iodp.org/scientific_prospectus/360/
 Exp. 352 Preliminary Report (IBM Fore Arc):
http://publications.iodp.org/preliminary_report/352/
 Exp. 343/343T Data report (Northern Japan Trench Subduction Zone):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/343_343T/201/201_.htm
 Exp. 338 Data report (Nankai Trough):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/338/201/201_.htm
 Exp. 322 Data report (Shikoku Basin):
http://publications.iodp.org/proceedings/322/206/206_.htm
Current IODP Expedition:
 Expedition 355 (Arabian Sea Monsoon):
International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Exp. 355 Arabian Sea Monsoon set sail
from Colombo, Sri Lanka on 31 March and will conclude in Mumbai, India on 31 May 2015.
The expedition aims to understand the interaction between the Himalayas and Tibetan
plateau uplift and the development and evolution of the Indian summer monsoon. Four sites
in the eastern Arabian Sea will target sediments of the Indus submarine fan to better
understand the co-evolution of mountain building, weathering and erosion, and climate
across multiple time scales. Follow the expeditions’ progress here:
http://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/expeditions/arabian_sea.html
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If you have anything you would like to be added to the DrillNZ website, email us at
[email protected]!
_________________________________________
DrillNZ Secretariat
GNS Science
PO Box 30-368
Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand
[email protected]
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