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Title: HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project - Tracking the Yellowstone
Plume Through Space and Time.
Proponent(s): JW Shervais (PD), BB Hanan, M Branney, AF Holtz, J Erzinger, D Schmitt
Keywords: Mantle Plumes, continental evolution, basalt,
(5 or less)
paleoclimate.
Contact Information:
Contact Person:
Department:
Organization:
Address:
Tel.:
E-mail:
Location: Idaho, USA
John W Shervais
Geology
Utah State University
4505 Old Main Hill, Logan, Utah 84322-4505
Fax: 011-435-797-1588
011-435-797-1274 or 797-1273
[email protected]
Permission to post abstract on ICDP Web site: ✘ Yes
No
Abstract: (400 words or less)
Mantle plumes are thought to play a crucial role in the Earth’s thermal and tectonic evolution. They have long been
implicated in the rifting and breakup of continents, and plume-derived melts play a significant role in the creation and
modification of sub-continental mantle lithosphere. Much of our understanding of mantle plumes comes from plume
tracks in oceanic lithosphere, but oceanic lithosphere is recycled back into the mantle by subduction, so if we are to
understand plume-related volcanism prior to 200 Ma, we must learn how plume-derived magmas interact with
continental lithosphere, and how this interaction effects the chemical and isotopic composition of lavas that erupt on the
surface.
Hotspot volcanism in oceanic lithosphere has been the subject of intense recent and ongoing studies (HSDP, IODP).
These studies will provide base-line information about where mantle plumes originate, how they behave, and the
volcanic products of these processes. However, hotspot volcanism within continental lithosphere has not been studied in
such detail, and is potentially more complex.
Most researchers believe that Yellowstone is the world’s best example of a mantle plume beneath continental crust. The
Snake River Plain volcanic province, which represents the track of the Yellowstone plume, consists of basalts that are
compositionally similar to ocean island basalts and rhyolites caldera complexes that herald the onset of plume-related
volcanism. The Snake River Plain preserves a record of volcanic activity that spans over 12 Ma and is still active today
(the last volcanic eruption was circa 2 ka BP). Thus, the Snake River Plain is unique and represents the world-class
example of active intra-continental plume volcanism. Further, because it is young and tectonically undisturbed, the
complete record of volcanic activity can only be sampled by drilling.
This proposal seeks funding for an comprehensive, inter-disciplinary, intermediate-depth drilling scientific program in
the Snake River Plain. This project was the subject of a 4-day ICDP-funded workshop in May 2006 that focused on the
scientific basis for a formal drilling proposal, site selection and site selection criteria, and the logistics of coordinating
this project.
We envisage a transect along the axis of the SRP that will target the origin and evolution of plume-related volcanism in
both space and time. Our plan is to leverage existing drill core and cuttings minimize costs and maximize scientific
return. We propose drilling three new core holes to complete this transect: (1) 1.5 km hole in the central plain between
Twin Falls and the INL site, (2) a 1.6 km hole that penetrates the rhyolites under the basalt to sample sub-rhyolite basalt,
and (3) 0.7 km hole in the western SRP that penetrates the upper section of to Pleistocene basalt and
Pliocene-Pleistocene lake sediments. These drill holes will complement geophysical studies of continental dynamics
planned by Earthscope, as well as current studies centered on Yellowstone.
1 /2
Scientific Objectives: (250 words or less)
The central question we plan to address is: how do mantle hotspots interact with continental lithosphere, and how does
this interaction affect the geochemical evolution of mantle-derived magmas and continental lithosphere? Our hypothesis
is that continental lithosphere is constructed in large part from the base up by underplating of mantle plumes that are
compositionally and isotopically distinct from pre-Phanerozoic cratonic lithosphere. Plumes modify the impacted
lithosphere in two ways: by thermally and mechanically eroding pre-existing cratonic lithosphere, and by underplating
plume-source mantle that has been depleted in fusible components by decompression melting to form flood basalts or
plume track basalts. The addition of new material to the crust in the form of mafic magma represents a significant
contribution to crustal growth, and densifies the crust in two ways: by adding mafic material to the lower or middle crust
as frozen melts or cumulates, and by transferring fusible components from the lower crust to the upper crust as rhyolite
lavas and ignimbrites, leaving a mafic restite behind.
We further hypothesize that the structure, composition, age and thickness of continental lithosphere influence the
chemical and isotopic evolution of plume-derived magmas, and localizes where they erupt on the surface. This results in
the well-known “Wilson-cycle” effect whereby continents commonly rift along old suture zones (=former rifted margins.
To address these fundamental questions, we plan a transect of the continental margin that begins with lavas erupted
through Mesozoic-Paleozoic accreted terranes of oceanic provenance that lie west of the craton margin, as defined by the
Sr=0.706 line, and continues through progressively thicker and older lithosphere of Proterozoic to Archean age. The
rationale is to examine how basalt chemistry varied through time at different locations along this transect in response to
changes in the thickness, age, and composition of the underlying mantle lithosphere and the age of the erupted basalt.
Our goal is to understand how plumes react to continental lithosphere, how plume derived magmas are affected by
continental lithosphere, and how continental lithosphere responds to mantle plumes.
Summary of Support Requested from ICDP
Requested $2,420,000 over 4 years
ICDP funds:
(in US$)
Planned Summer 2008 (Technical
Start: workshop), Summer 2009
Estimated Total Project Budget $4,841,043 over 4 years
(ICDP funds plus other sources):
Estimated Duration in Month
(On-site operations only) :
(Drilling).
Requested Drill Engineering
Operational
Support:
Hole #1= 4 mo,
Hole #2= 4 mo
Hole #3= 1 mo
(Please contact ICDPs
Operational Support
Group if required)
Downhole Logging
OSG and Doug Schmitt (estimates included)
(Please contact ICDPs
OSG if required)
Field Lab
Equipment
(Please contact ICDPs
OSG if required)
Geoteck Multiscanner and whole-core image scanner for use
core processing facility.
Training Course
(Please contact ICDPs
OSG if required)
Details such as a Budget Plan, Management Plan, and Drilling Plan to be provided as attachment to the
Proposal. OSG contact: U. Harms ([email protected]), Phone: +49 331 288 1085
2 /2
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Tracking the Yellowstone Hotspot Through Space and Time
Introduction
Mantle plumes are thought to play a crucial role in the Earth’s thermal and tectonic evolution. They
have long been implicated in the rifting and breakup of continents, and plume-derived melts play a
significant role in the creation and modification of sub-continental mantle lithosphere. Much of our
understanding of mantle plumes comes from plume tracks in oceanic lithosphere, but oceanic lithosphere
is recycled back into the mantle by subduction, so if we are to understand plume-related volcanism prior to
200 Ma, we must learn how plume-derived magmas interact with continental lithosphere, and how this
interaction effects the chemical and isotopic composition of lavas that erupt on the surface and of the
lithosphere.
Hotspot volcanism in oceanic lithosphere has been the subject of focused recent and ongoing studies
by the Hawaii Drilling Project, the Reykjanes Drilling Project and IODP. These studies will provide base-line
information about where mantle plumes originate, how they behave under oceans, and the volcanic
products of these processes (DePaolo & Manga 2003). However, hotspot volcanism within continental
lithosphere has not been studied in such detail, and is potentially more complex (e.g., Burov et al, 2007).
The Yellowstone-Snake River Plain (YSRP) volcanic province, which began ≈17 Ma under eastern
Oregon and northern Nevada and is currently under the Yellowstone Plateau, is the world’s best modern
example of a time-transgressive hotspot track beneath continental crust (Fig. 1). Recently, a 100 km wide
thermal anomaly has been imaged by seismic tomography to depths of over 500 km beneath the
Yellowstone Plateau (Fig 1c; Yuan & Dueker, 2005; Waite et al 2006). The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field
consists largely of rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites, with few mantle-derived basalts (Christiansen 2001). In
contrast, the Snake River Plain (SRP), which represents the track of the Yellowstone hotspot, consists of
rhyolite caldera complexes that herald the onset of plume-related volcanism and basalts that are
compositionally similar to ocean island basalts like Hawaii (Pierce et al 2002). The SRP preserves a record of
volcanic activity that spans over 16 Ma and is still active today, with basalts as young as 200 ka in the west
and 2 ka in the east. Thus, the Snake River volcanic province represents the world-class example of active timetransgressive intra-continental plume volcanism. The SRP is unique because it is young and relatively
undisturbed tectonically, and because it contains a complete record of volcanic activity associated with passage of
the hotspot. This complete volcanic record can only be sampled by drilling. In addition to this complete record of
hotspot volcanism, the western SRP rift basin preserves an unparalleled deep-water lacustrine archive of
paleoclimate evolution in western North America during the late Neogene.
Continental Volcanism and The Mantle Plume Paradigm
Recent studies suggest that continental flood basalts and associated linear volcanic trends of basalt
and rhyolite form from deep mantle plumes. The basalts have trace element characteristics similar to ocean
island basalts, and are commonly more iron-rich than normal mid-ocean ridge basalts. Although plumes
were originally thought to consist of thin vertical tails that feed a bulbous plume head (e.g. Olson 1990),
recent numerical models suggest that deep mantle plumes may have complex geometries that are not
continuous from top to bottom, and may be tilted by flow of the asthenosphere (Farnetani & Samuel 2005;
King 2007). Seismic tomography confirms these predictions for the Yellowstone plume, which can be imaged
as deep as 600 km and appears to dip some 65º WNW (Yuan & Dueker 2005; Waite et al 2006; Fig 1c).
A range of non-plume models have been proposed for the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain volcanic
system. These models include a propagating rift (Christiansen and McKee, 1978), edge-driven convection (King
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
and Anderson 1995; King 2007) and a convective roll or hotline driven by self-sustaining convection
(Humphreys et al, 2000). All of these models imply that the source of basaltic magmatism is shallow
asthenosphere that underlies the lithosphere. Since shallow asthenosphere is the source of mid-ocean ridge
basalts (MORB), which are typically depleted in incompatible trace elements, this source is inconsistent with
the geochemistry of the observed basalts, which resemble ocean island basalts in their major and trace
element geochemistry (e.g., Vetter and Shervais, 1992; Hughes et al 2002; Shervais et al 2006). Further, none of
the non-plume models predicts the sudden outpouring of flood basalt in < 1 million years or the time
transgressive progression of silicic eruptive complexes – which represent the influx of huge volumes of
mafic magma into the crust, now represented by subcrustal and midcrustal sill complexes (e.g., Peng and
Humphreys, 1998). The cratonic edge effect model attempts to address the CRBG flood basalt province but
do not explain the time transgressive Snake River Plain. In contrast, the propogating rift and convective roll
(“hotline”) models specifically address the ESRP, but do not explain the CRBG flood basalts.
Recently, the concept of mantle plumes as thermally or compositionally distinct entities has been
challenged (e.g. Anderson 2001; Christiansen et al 2002; Foulger & Natland 2003; Foulger and Jurdy 2007; Foulger et al
2004). The contention arises partly from a lack of seismic tomographs that clearly demonstrate deep
sources of mantle plumes, equivocal isotopic evidence for mantle plumes, and numerical models which do
not support the upwelling of deep mantle in narrow conduits. Proponents of the plume model cite new
tomographic studies that clearly image mantle plumes, including Yellowstone (Montelli et al 2004, 2006) and
numerical models that show complex geometries for mantle plumes (King, 2007; Farnetani & Samuel 2005).
The large volumes of magma erupted over short time periods in large igneous provinces, high eruption
rates in some plume tails (e.g., Hawaii), large geoid anomalies (+15 m under Yellowstone; Fig. 1a), and high
3
He/4He ratios (which may reflect the outgassing of unfractionated primordial mantle) also support the
plume model (e.g., DePaolo & Manga, 2003). Thus, the mantle plume paradigm is the best available, although
the extent, thermal flux, and depth of origin of plumes may vary. The drilling proposed here will provide
additional evidence with which to further test and refine the mantle plume hypothesis.
Regional Setting: The Snake River Volcanic Province
The Neogene Snake River volcanic province can be divided into three provinces: the older western
province, comprising the Owyhee Plateau and western SRP, the transitional central SRP, and the younger
NE-trending eastern SRP (which lies generally parallel to North America plate motion; Fig 1b). The ESRP, a
topographic depression that cuts across Basin and Range structures, is characterized by a thin carapace of
basalt (100m-1500m) that overlies rhyolite volcanics and tuffaceous sediments extending to depths >3000
m (Champion et al 2002; Geist et al 2002a,b; Hughes et al 2002). The eastern SRP is underlain by a 10 km thick
mid-crustal sill complex that has been imaged seismically that represents layered magma chambers where
the basalts fractionate (Peng & Humphries, 1998; Shervais et al 2006).
In the older western province, the Owyhee Plateau is a highland underlain by rhyolite and basalt,
whereas the western SRP is a NW-trending graben bounded by en-echelon normal faults exposing rhyolite
eruptives, and filled with up to 4 km of basalt and sediment (Wood & Clemens 2002; Shervais et al 2002). Large
epicontinental lakes deposited several km of Miocene-Pleistocene sediments, which are both overlain and
underlain by basalt (Shervais et al 2002). The western province is underlain by a mid-crustal mafic sill similar
to that imaged under the eastern plain (Hill and Pakiser 1967), even though it lies north of the projected
hotspot track based on reconstructions of North American plate motion (Gripp and Gordon, 1990, 2002).
The central SRP represents a critical transition from the broad western province to the well-defined
eastern province, but it has received comparatively little study compared to the eastern SRP. It contains
basalt, rhyolite, and lacustrine sediments that vary greatly in proportion from place to place, and it lacks the
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
well-defined rhyolite eruptive centers that underlie the eastern SRP. It is the only part of the plain that has
not been penetrated by a deep drill hole that samples a large section of basalt. Recent mapping projects
provide a new framework for understanding the central plain, and for site selection (Kauffman et al, 2005).
Studies of existing core from the eastern SRP show that the younger basalts form a series of upward
fractionation cycles and reversed cycles that indicate fractionation in a layered magma system undergoing
periodic recharge (Geist et al 2002a; Hughes et al 2002; Shervais et al 2006). Chemical and isotopic variations
show that the oldest basalts assimilated continental crust, but later basalts interacted largely with
crystallized melts of the layered magma system (assimilation of consanguineous mafic intrusions), resulting
in decoupling of major and trace element fractionation, but without substantial changes in isotopic
composition (Shervais et al 2006). Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes suggest a small lithospheric input (5%) into a system
dominated by plume-derived basalts similar in major and trace element composition to Hawaiian basalts
(Hanan et al 2008). Isotopic studies of surface and subsurface basalt flows show systematic variations in SrNd-Pb isotopes with distance from Yellowstone, which are interpreted to reflect changes in the proportion
of the plume mantle source and the underlying heterogeneous cratonic lithosphere that varies in age,
composition, and thickness (Hanan et al 2008).
Motivation and Goals of Drilling
Project HOTSPOT: Scientific Drilling of the Snake River Plain held its inaugural workshop in Twin Falls, Idaho,
on May 18-21, 2006. This inter-disciplinary workshop explored major science issues and logistics central to a
comprehensive, intermediate-depth drilling program along the hotspot track. This was followed by two
special sessions at Fall 2006 AGU dedicated to SRP drilling, and meetings at GSA Denver and Fall AGU in 2007.
The central question addressed by the workshop was: how do mantle hotspots interact with continental
lithosphere, and how does this interaction affect the geochemical evolution of mantle-derived magmas and the
continental lithosphere? Our hypothesis is that continental mantle lithosphere is constructed in part from the
base up by the underplating of mantle plumes that are compositionally and isotopically distinct from prePhanerozoic cratonic lithosphere. Plumes modify the impacted lithosphere in two ways: by thermally and
mechanically eroding pre-existing cratonic mantle lithosphere, and by underplating plume-source mantle
that has been depleted in fusible components by decompression melting to form flood basalts or plume
track basalts. The addition of new material to the crust in the form of mafic magma represents a significant
contribution to crustal growth, and densifies the crust in two ways: by adding mafic material to the lower
and middle crust as frozen melts or cumulates, and by transferring fusible components from the lower
crust to the upper crust as rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites, leaving a mafic restite behind. We further
hypothesize that the structure, composition, age and thickness of continental lithosphere influence the
chemical and isotopic evolution of plume-derived magmas, and localizes where they erupt on the surface.
We propose to test this hypothesis by answering two fundamental questions:
(1) Are the chemical and isotopic compositions of the basaltic and rhyolitic magmas a function of
lithosphere thickness, composition and age at the locality where they erupted?
(2) Are the eruptive flux and mantle source signatures consistent with the mantle plume model for the
Snake River-Yellowstone volcanic system?
To address these fundamental questions, we plan a transect of the continental margin that begins
with lavas erupted through Mesozoic-Paleozoic accreted terranes of oceanic provenance that lie west of
the craton margin, as defined by the 87Sr/86Sr=0.706 line, and continues through progressively thicker and
older lithosphere of Proterozoic to Archean age (Fig. 2). The rationale is to examine how basalt chemistry
varied through time at different locations along this transect in response to changes in the thickness, age,
and composition of the underlying mantle lithosphere and the age of the erupted basalt. We will leverage
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
this transect with samples from existing drill holes that intercept basalt at critical locations across the plain.
This strategy will result in the recovery of the complete sequence of SRP basalts at far lower cost due to the
existing drilled samples.
In order to calculate the eruptive flux, we plan to penetrate the underlying high-temperature rhyolitic
ignimbrites that mark the climax of plume-related volcanism, to constrain both the volume and periodicity
of large rhyolitic eruptions and the geologic response to passage of the hotspot. Since most SRP rhyolites
are thought to represent crustal melts formed in response to intrusion of mafic magma into the lower and
middle crust, the volume of rhyolite allows us to infer the volume of mafic magma trapped in the crust. This
will be combined with the volume of erupted basalt to calculate the total eruptive flux of the system. These
data will also provide a first order check on flux calculations based on geophysical data.
We also will track thermal uplift and subsidence associated with the plume using records preserved in
sedimentary basins along and adjacent to the plume track (Davis et al 2006). These basins are intercalated
with the volcanic record and preserve sediment, fossils, and pollen that document changes in elevation,
drainage divides, and depocenters through time. The western SRP graben contained a deep lake (Lake
Idaho) for much of its history during the late Pliocene-early Pleistocene (Malde 1991). Lake Idaho sediments
include diatomaceous rhythmites that span the Pliocene thermal optimum and the time of initiation of
Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The sediments preserve a detailed proxy record of climate change during
these important global climate transitions. They also record the response of aquatic ecosystems to the
environmental stress of major, violent volcanic eruptions associated with the hotspot.
Why Drill? The fundamental questions posed above can only be addressed by drilling because
nowhere on the Snake River Plain is a complete section of basaltic and rhyolitic volcanics exposed. Lavas of
the central and eastern Snake River Plain are flat-lying, only limited sections are exposed in the Snake River
Canyon near Twin Falls, and the contact between the volcanics and the underlying basement is nowhere
exposed. Therefore, it is impossible to stitch together a complete section from the exposed rocks. Drilling a
complete section through the volcanic section in the central plain is crucial because that is only way to
constrain the total magmatic flux of both basalt and rhyolite (which results from intrusion of basaltic
magma at depth in the crust). Knowing the magmatic flux is key to establishing whether a plume is required
(high magmatic flux) or whether more localized melting may be responsible (low magmatic flux). In
addition, plume rhyolites are commonly underlain by early basalt eruptives that retain their mantle
geochemical signatures (e.g., the Steens and Imnaha basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group: Hooper et al
2002, 2007). Drilling through the entire rhyolite section within the physiographic SRP would intercept this
basalt, if it is pervasive. Finally, drilling allows us to examine basalt evolution through time at locations
underlain by continental lithosphere that differs in age, composition, and thickness as the continental
margin is approached (Hanan et al 2008; Shervais et al, in press). The ability to unravel the respective influences
of time and location are critical to answering our fundamental questions, and only drilling can provide that
control.
Previous Work: Modern work on volcanic rocks of the Snake River Plain began in the 1970’s with
documentation of time-transgressive volcanism that became younger to the NE, consistent with the
emerging theory of plate tectonics and the movement of lithospheric plates over hotspots (Armstrong et
al 1975). Pioneering work by Leeman and co-workers (Leeman 1979, 1982a,b,c; Leeman and Manton 1971;
Leeman et al 1976, 1985; Menzies et al., 1983, 1984) documented the geochemical and isotopic characteristics
of the basalts and rhyolites, and established a conceptual framework for their interpretation. This early
work established the ancient crustal underpinning of the plain, and the importance of continental
lithosphere in the origin and evolution of magmas. This work led to the concept of a lithospheric source for
the basalts, in which the heat for melting may or may not come from a mantle plume (Leeman, 1982a; Hart et
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
al., 1984; Hart, 1985; Hart and Carlson, 1987; Hart et al., 1997). Later work focused on the high-temperature
rhyolites (Leeman 1982d; Ekren et al 1984; Honjo et al 1992; Bonnichson et al 2008, Christiensen and McCurry 2008)
and on the very youngest basalts, which are commonly associated with volcanic rift zones that parallel
faults in the adjacent Basin and Range (Greeley, 1982; Kuntz et al, 1982; Kuntz 1992). While the young riftrelated basalts are the most spectacular volcanic features of the plain, they are overshadowed in volume by
slightly older (Pleistocene) basalts that form an axial volcanic high down the center of the eastern plain
(Bonnichsen and Godchaux, 2002; Shervais et al 2005). Recent studies of these axial volcanics documents their
similarity to ocean island basalts (Geist et al 2002a,b; Hughes et al 2002; Shervais et al 2006) and suggests the
importance of plume-lithosphere interactions in their origin (Hanan et al 2008). Previous work on drill core
has been limited almost entirely to the Idaho National Laboratory site in the eastern SRP (e.g., Link and Mink,
2002; Geist et al 2002a,b; Hughes et al 2002; Shervais et al 2006; Hanan et al 2008). We will build on this earlier work
by investigating core from locations both east and west of the INL site, as described below.
Major Science Issues for SRP Drilling Project
The central science issue for crustal drilling of the Snake River volcanic province is: how do plumes
interact with continental crust and mantle lithosphere, based on the differences we see between clearly
established oceanic plumes (e.g., Hawaii Deep Drilling Project) and a plume system that has interacted with
continental lithosphere over a prolonged time frame (the Snake River-Yellowstone plume system). We know
from studies of surface basalts and existing core that these differences reflect in part variations in
lithospheric age, composition, and thickness, magma fractionation and recharge in crustal storage systems,
and assimilation of older crust, as well as input from the deep-seated mantle plume and adjacent
asthenosphere. Concrete scientific questions to be addressed within this context include:
(1) How do the variations in magma chemistry, isotopic composition, and age of eruption constrain the
mantle dynamics of hotspot-continental lithosphere interaction?
(2) What do variations in magma chemistry and isotopic composition tell us about processes in the crust
and mantle? To what extent is magma chemistry controlled by melting, fractionation, or assimilation
of crustal components, and where do these processes occur?
(3) Is the source region predominately lithosphere, asthenosphere, or plume? What are the proportions
of each? Are there changes in the magma source/proportions at any one location along the plain
through time relative to the position of the hotspot?
(4) How does a heterogeneous lithosphere affect plume-derived mafic magma? Effect of crust-lithosphere
age, structure, composition, and thickness on basalt and rhyolite chemistry, from variations in lava
chemistry along the plume track.
(5) What is the time-integrated flux of magma in the Snake River-Yellowstone volcanic system? Is it
consistent with models of plume-derived volcanism, or is this flux more consistent with other, nonplume models of formation?
(6) Can we establish geochemical and isotopic links between the “plume head” volcanic province
(Columbia River Basalts), and the “plume tail” province (Snake River Plain) in the western SRP?
Rhyolites of the SRP are distinct from normal calc-alkaline rhyolites associated with island arc systems: they
were very hot (850º-1000ºC) dry melts with low viscosity and anhydrous mineral assemblages (Christiensen
and McCurry, 2008; Branney et al 2008). They produced very large volume (>200 km3) low aspect ratio lavas,
vast (≈1000 km3) well-sorted, intensely welded ignimbrites and lava-like ignimbrites, and regionally
widespread ashfall layers with little pumice. They are the youngest and best-preserved example of this type
of volcanism, but the SRP eruptive centers are concealed beneath basalt. They have geochemical affinities
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
to A-type/P-type granites and are common in other plume-related silicic provinces throughout the world.
Major issues include:
(1) Origin of the SRP rhyolites: crustal melting or fractional crystallization of mantle-derived basalt?
(2) What are the volumes of the rhyolitic eruptions? What is the eruptive mass flux, and how does this
vary with time, as the hot spot tracks across changing lithosphere? Related to this, how much plumederived mafic magma is required to produce the rhyolites (e.g., Nash et al 2006), and what does this tell
us about total magma flux in the Snake River-Yellowstone plume system?
(3) Do the rhyolites associated with the older western province differ from those of central and eastern
SRP? Does the plume-crust interaction vary across a heterogeneous cratonic margin?
The formation of A-type granitic melts as dry melts of continental crust requires an external heat source
capable of transferring immense amounts of heat to the crust – sufficient to form large volumes of high
silica rhyolite with magmatic temperatures of 850-1000ºC. Determining the heat budget associated with
these melts will be critical to our understanding of plume-continent interaction. In addition, the large
volumes of rhyolite preserve a record of magma chamber processes that cannot be seen in surface
exposures, but which are critical to understanding the origin and nature of these unique magmas. Proximal
rhyolites will also provide a more complete record than distal rhyolites exposed outside the plain.
Major science issues of the paleo-lake Idaho component of SRP drilling include: (1) testing the
hypothesis for the role of moisture transport to North America from the Pacific initiation of Northern
Hemisphere glaciation; (2) examining the response of the Great Basin hydrological system to the Pliocene
climatic optimum; (3) using the high resolution lacustrine records to infer the chronology of biotic
recovery in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the post-eruption intervals following some of the
largest explosive volcanic eruptions known; (4) resolving late Neogene record of biotic and landscape
evolution in response to tectonic and magmatic processes related to SRP-Yellowstone hotspot evolution;
(5) developing a “master reference section” for regional biostratigraphy and hence for sediments interbedded in basalts and rhyolites at other HOTSPOT sites.
Proposed Work
We envision drilling two new deep (1.5-1.6 km) drill holes along the axis of the central SRP, and a shallow
(700 m) drill hole in the western SRP, that will test the plume model for origin and evolution of the Snake
River volcanic system in both space and time. It is our plan to leverage samples from existing drill holes to
create a transect of the entire plume track, beginning west of the craton margin (as represented by the
87
Sr/86Sr=0.706 line) and continuing east to the 1.3 Ma Henrys Fork caldera of the Yellowstone Plateau
eruptive center. Each core will allow us to examine the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of basalts
through time at each site, while the series of holes will allow comparison of coeval lavas erupted at different
locations, and estimation of the eruptive volume thru time. Core and cuttings from the western province
will help define the relationship between the older Columbia River Basalt Group and the younger centraleastern plume track.
Each core will document the record of volcanism and sedimentation through time at a single
geographic point within the SRP system, while the series of cores along the axes of each segment will
produce a series of comparisons of coeval time segments at different locations. These two dimensions
(time, space) will provide a unique opportunity to assess the effects of changes in plume/lithosphere
interactions over time, as well as variations in the composition, age, and thickness of the underlying
lithosphere. Age relations will be constrained by a combination of radiometric dates (40Ar/39Ar sanidine and
plagioclase; U-Pb zircon for rhyolites and intercalated ash units), magnetostratigraphy, and detailed
cyclostratigraphy of a master lacustrine reference section to be recovered in the western province.
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Additional components of a targeted drilling program include collateral studies of the origin of A-type
granite magmas, connections between crustal sections sampled by core and geophysical studies of the
deeper crust and lithosphere, uplift and subsidence of basins, paleoclimate studies of intra-continental
North America during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, high-resolution magnetostratigraphy of
basalts and sediments sampled by coring, fluid flow at deeper crustal levels, and the impact of heat flow,
biogenic processes, and crustal fluids on the chemical re-equilibration of rocks and fluids at depth. Holes will
also be logged and we will establish a robust outreach and education effort to involve the public in our
investigation.
Several shallow to intermediate depth holes have been drilled at sites along the axis of the Snake River
Plain, as shown in figure 2. These include the Deer Flat petroleum exploration well (2.75 km, not cored,
cuttings at 3 m intervals) near the craton boundary, the Mountain Home Air Force Base (MH-AFB)
geothermal test well (1.34 km, partly cored), the Wendell RASA hydrologic test well (0.33 km, cored), the INL
test well WO-2 (1.5 km, cored), and the Sugar City hydrothermal test well (0.7 km, cored). Taken together
these holes represent the western and eastern extents of the proposed transect (Deer Flat = west of 0.706
line; Sugar City = adjacent Henrys Fork Caldera) with three holes in between (MH-AFB, Wendell, WO2). We
will take advantage of existing cuttings (Deer Flat) and core (Wendell, Sugar City, MH-AFB).
We propose drilling two new deep core holes, and one shallow core hole, to complete this transect and
thereby construct a continuous record of SRP basaltic volcanism (Fig. 2). In the central SRP we will employ
two offset deep holes to achieve maximum scientific return by optimizing the locations for penetrating a
thick section of basalt (along the axis of the plain) and the underlying rhyolites (near the margin of the
plain). These holes will be located west of the Great Rift and NE of Twin Falls, Idaho, and close together
longitudinally so that they overlie similar age and composition basement. The 1.5 km deep basalt hole will be
sited to recover 1.2 to 1.4 km of basalt plus a representative section of the underlying rhyolite. The 1.6 km
deep rhyolite hole will be sited to penetrate a thin section of overlying basalt and a complete section of
rhyolite with underlying basement and/or basalt. The 0.7 km hole in the western SRP will be located near the
MH-AFB hole, to sample the upper basalt and sediment section not cored by the existing deep hole.
Our proposed drilling and science plan will use a large body of prior data from seismic reflection
studies, deep seismic refraction studies, existing scientific core, water wells, wildcat hydro-carbon
exploration wells, and potential field data (Glen et al 2006). We will also take advantage of the existing
extensive potential field, electrical resistivity, and well data that constrain target depths for holes (Lindholm
et al 1984; Glen et al 2006). Coordination of these studies and assessment of the data will be carried out by
working committees of the consortium and other investigators.
Data generated by this drilling program will be complemented by EarthScope-sponsored geophysical
studies of continental dynamics (USArray and the Plate Boundary Observatory) and current studies centered
on Yellowstone (Yellowstone Volcanic Observatory). The knowledge gained will complement data produced by
EarthScope, allowing us to attack the problem of lithospheric evolution in ways not achievable by drilling or
geophysics alone.
Initial Core Characterization: Essential Scientific Investigations
In order to be successful this project must include essential scientific investigations that address the
concrete scientific questions presented above. We propose to approach these investigations using a model
for initial core characterization that will include funding for a complete geochemical and physical survey of the
core as it comes out of the ground. These data will be posted to the project‘s secure website so that all
participants can evaluate them and chose appropriate samples or sample strategies for more detailed
investigations, which will be funded by separate PI-initiated proposals. The initial core characterization will be
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
funded through an umbrella science budget that will be included in our proposal to the US National Science
Foundation, and through grants to international investigators or investigator groups by their domestic
science funding agencies. Some of these international proposals are already in place and will be available
when drilling begins. The initial core characterization phase of Project Hotspot will be carried out under a data
embargo and publishing moratorium designed to protect PI-groups from unauthorized data use and to
promote the active sharing of data between all investigators involved (see Data Systems and Data Policy
section, below).
In addition to the essential scientific investigations, there is a range of additional investigations that will
enhance the value of the core but are not essential to the success of this project. These additional
investigations will be funded separately, however, some will require special sampling during drilling (e.g.,
aquifer tests) that must be built into the drilling budget. The essential scientific investigations that we have
identified as critical to the success of this project include the following:
Basalt Geochemistry: The major element, trace element and phase chemistry of basalts represent
first-order data needed to understand their petrogenesis, including fractional crystallization in crustal or
subcrustal magma chambers, magma recharge and mixing, assimilation of continental crust and preexisting consanguineous mafic intrusions, melting in the upper mantle at different depths, and variations in
the composition of the mantle source region. The techniques used have been documented in many
publications and applied in past studies of SRP basalts (e.g., Leeman 1982; Vetter & Shervais 1992; Geist et al
2002; Hughes et al 2002; Shervais et al 2006). When combined with isotopic studies (discussed below), they
represent a powerful set of tools for understanding the details of basalt petrogenesis, including forward
modeling of parent magmas using programs like MELTS and COMAGMAT, and inverse modeling using
linear mixing (major elements) and Rayleigh distillation algorithms (for trace elements). Our previous work
on SRP lavas has shown that significant fractionation must occur at lower or mid-crustal depths (cryptic
pyroxene fractionation) in layered mafic magma chambers, that interaction with older continental crust is
minimal but interaction with continental lithosphere must be extensive, that assimilation in crustal magma
chambers is dominated by assimilation of consanguineous mafic intrusions, and that there is a range in
primary magma compositions, implying a system dominated by small discrete magma batches (Op. Cit.). In
the west, we have also noted a change in primary magma source compositions over time (Vetter & Shervais
1992; Shervais et al 2002). Analytical techniques we will apply include electron microprobe and LA-ICP-MS for
phase chemistry, X-ray fluorescence for major elements, and ICP-MS for trace elements.
Rhyolite Geochemistry: The drilling will be a unique opportunity to investigate the concealed proximal
deposits and eruptive centers of the youngest and best-preserved example worldwide of what is emerging
to be an important but little understood category of silicic volcanism, Snake River-type volcanism, which has
occurred at several times in earth history (Branney et al 2008). Information gleaned from SRP-flanking
outflow successions indicate explosive rhyolitic super-eruptions were associated with unusually high mass
flux rhyolite lava effusions, and voluminous, widely dispersed ashfalls; pumice-rich deposits are rare. The
absence of exposure of proximal deposits severely limits our understanding of the processes, eruptive
volumes, and the nature of the source volcanoes. More importantly, it is impossible to estimate the total
magmatic flux without knowing the total thickness of proximal rhyolites within the SRP.
We shall undertake geochemical, age, and magnetostratigraphic studies of the rhyolitic successions
encountered in the cores, to correlate them with established extracaldera facies currently being
characterized in flanking massifs (e.g. Bonnichsen et al, 2008; Christiensen and McCurry, 2008; Morgan and
McIntosh, 2005). The axial SRP rhyolitic successions will be compared with more distal counterparts to
constrain eruption volumes and relative uplift/subsidence between the axis of the plume track and the
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
flanking regions. Proximal deposits commonly include clasts of more deep-seated lithologies that may
provide important information about the volcanic substructure and magma system.
Phase chemical studies coupled with major, minor, trace element, and isotopic studies (O-Pb-Sr-Nd;
see below) will be used characterize petrologic evolution of the rhyolites. These data will be related to
crustal, volcanic, and plume-related sources to determine melting and eruptive conditions and the controls
of the evolution of volcanic systems. Recent oxygen isotope studies (Bindeman et al 2001; Boroughs et al 2005;
Shanks et al 2006) have shown that low d18O magmas are indicated for many SRP rhyolites and are due to
assimilation of hydrothermally altered rocks, which were either rhyolite volcanics from earlier eruptive
events or older altered intrusives such as the Idaho batholith. Drilling rhyolites in the SRP has great potential
for solving this problem, either through direct sampling of rhyolites or xenoliths of fused or assimilated
material.
The thick continuous rhyolite sections provide a proxy for understanding the deep crustal magma
chambers from which they were derived. Determination of the geochemical and tracer isotopic
stratigraphy in the rhyolite eruptives will allow the reconstruction of what the magma chamber looked like
at depth. This will allow us insight to the important magma chamber processes such as fractional
crystallization, magma recharge and mixing, assimilation of continental crust or lithosphere, and variations
in the composition of the rhyolite source regions. In addition, the geochemical studies will help our
understanding of how A-type granites form and their significance in the geologic record.
Isotope Geochemistry: Isotope data is required to unambiguously sort out the processes responsible
for the major element, trace element, and phase chemistry of the eruptive products (e.g. Shervais et al 2006),
distinguish the magma source components, to sort out the age variation along the SRP strike, to constrain
the time periods and dynamics of magmatic processes, and to understand the chemistry of basalt and
rhyolite alteration. Basalt isotope geochemistry, including radiogenic isotope signatures of He (and other
rare gasses), Hf, Nd, Sr, Os and Pb and model source ages will be used to characterize and distinguish the
different mantle and crustal source components involved in the genesis of the bi-modal volcanism along
the SRP (e.g. Chesley & Ruiz 1998; Graham et al 2006; Hanan et al, 2008). These data will also be used, in
conjunction with the major and trace element data, paleo-magnetic stratigraphy, and Ar/Ar
geochronology to determine the flux and mass proportions of the magma source components (e.g. Hanan
and Schilling 1997; Hanan et al 2000, 2008). The U-series isotope system will provide insight into the duration
and dynamics of magma storage processes involved in crustal growth accompanying influx of mantle melts
(Reid 1995). In addition to model age geochronology, Ar/Ar dates are required to sort out the temporal
variation of basalt eruption ages at a particular site as well as along the strike of the SRP. We will employ
other geochronological tools when appropriate, for example, if we encounter xenoliths U-Pb and Re/Os
dates may be possible. Stable isotope studies (e.g., H, B, Li, O, S) will be used in conjunction with the
radiogenic isotope systematics to understand basalt and rhyolite alteration processes (reservoirs, reaction
zones, types of alteration), and to evaluate the impact of biotic versus abiotic alteration.
Magma storage & differentiation: In order to understand the primary origin of magmas in the SRP
volcanic system, we require information on the evolution of chemistry, sources, differentiation and storage
conditions of both rhyolitic and basaltic magmas with time and space. Considering the contrasting
magmatism in the SRPY province, our group plans to contribute to the determination of liquid lines of
descent (differentiation paths) and of pre-eruptive conditions (P, T, volatile and oxygen fugacity) of both
the rhyolitic and basaltic magmas. This information will be gained (1) from the chemical analysis of natural
minerals and glasses combined with (2) high pressure experimental studies to determine phase equilibria
and (3) thermodynamic modeling. The cooperation with teams working on petrology and geochemistry of
the SRP magmatic systems is a prerequisite.
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Pre-eruptive conditions can be constrained using high-pressure high temperature experimental
approaches consisting of the determination of phase equilibria for well characterized compositions (mainly
crystallization experiments). The main goal is to reproduce experimentally the natural mineral assemblages
(phase compositions, proportions). The results will provide data we can use to model accurately
differentiation processes of complex multi-component natural systems. Magma storage conditions and
differentiation processes can also be constrained using thermodynamic phase equilibria models. Results
obtained in model granitic systems (Holtz et al 1992) or thermodynamic models (e.g, COMAGMAT)
elaborated to predict mineral-melt relations in basaltic systems will be used to reproduce natural phase and
rock compositions. For basaltic systems, following possible differentiation processes will be tested (1)
fractional crystallization at depth, (2) polybaric fractional crystallization during ascent and (3) equilibrium
crystallization in a closed-magmatic chamber including the possible effects of crystal settling. This last
mechanism may occur in basaltic sills and needs to be tested considering the “layered intrusive complex”
model proposed by Shervais et al (2006).
Magnetostratigraphy and Chronostratigraphy: Changes in the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field
will be used to develop a magnetostratigraphic framework for the cores. Previous work on other cores from
the Snake River Plain has shown the basalts have very strong and stable magnetizations that provide
unambiguous polarity determinations. Previous studies of the magnetic properties of the rhyolites from
the Snake River Plain indicate that usable magnetostratigraphic results will also be obtained from these
rocks (Morgan 1992). In addition, changes in the paleomagnetic direction due to secular variation of the
Earth’s magnetic field can be used to identify boundaries between successive flows units.
In order to place the magmatic rocks into a chronostratigraphic framework, the magnetostratgraphy
will be calibrated with precise Ar-Ar radiometric dates of selected basalts and rhyolites so that we may
correlate the magnetostratigraphy with the magnetic polarity timescale. By carefully targeting where in the
section we obtain these dates, we can effectively date every lava flow in the section to its appropriate chron
and subchron. The magnetostratigraphy and Ar/Ar grochronology, in conjunction with the measured flow
thicknesses, will provide a powerful means to determine the eruptive flux in time at a single local and in
space (along the SRP) by comparing the major study areas. With this information and the radiogenic
isotope, trace element, and major element chemistry will be able to trace the source origin and
contribution of different possible mantle sources through time. This will allow us to appreciate in detail the
temporal evolution of the continental lithosphere and plume source (e.g. Hanan and Schilling, 1997). These
results will complement the existing geophysical data for the SRP and Yellowstone as well as the future data
that will result as the EarthScope project moves through Idaho and Wyoming.
A magnetostratigraphic approach will also be used to obtain a chronostratigraphy for the Lake Idaho
sediments. The mineralogy, grain-size distribution and domain state of the magnetic grains in a sediment
are affected by weathering, erosion, transport, and depositional processes in a lake basin. This makes it
possible to use the magnetic properties as proxies for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate change. In the
Lake Idaho sediments these processes are likely driven by Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitch cyclicities.
Thus, it should be possible to develop a magnetic cyclostratigraphy that can also be used to study the
sediment cores. The magnetic parameters also provide a means of correlating between suites of cores from
the same site and between suites of sites in the same depositional basin. Again, this can be calibrated to the
magnetic polarity timescale using precise Ar-Ar dates of single crystal sanidine from intercalated ash beds.
The University of Wisconsin Ar lab has carried out extensive work in modern and paleo-lake settings, and
has the capability to date single sanidine grains extracted from tuffs or tuffaceous sediments (Smith et al,
2006). When combined with magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy, it provides a powerful tool for
detailed stratigraphic correlations within a single core.
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Borehole Logging: Geophysical investigations in the vicinity of and within the well bore itself are critical
to the overall interpretation of the core; geophysical logging is currently an integral part of any scientific
drilling program. A wide variety of physical properties may be measured, the most important of which are
the natural radioactivity (revealing concentrations of radioactive U, Th, and K and hence zones of
alteration), the electrical resistivity (indicative of porosity, in situ fluids, and alteration products), the sonic
velocities of the rock (to assist in the interpretation of seismic sections), and the magnetic susceptibility
(related to igneous composition and alteration and to sedimentary environment). These provide
calibration of stratigraphy, indication of pore fluid properties, and, and estimation of seismic velocities.
Other important tools measure the fluid content, mass density, magnetic susceptibility, temperature, and
dielectric properties. Temperature gradients are especially important for establishing geothermal gradients
and heat flux. A family of imaging tools are useful for geological correlation, orientation of core, and crustal
stress determination; these imaging tools rely on either electrical or acoustic imaging techniques. Surface
based borehole seismic and electrical imaging methods allow for validation of regional geophysical
investigations. We propose to use the Operational Support Group of ICDP for our basic logging operations,
with interpretations under the direction of Doug Schmitt (Univ Alberta). Funding for OSG participation is
included within the drilling budget; log interpretation will be funded by the initial science funding.
Crustal fluids and gases: Drilling campaigns are a challenge to earth scientists because of the unique
opportunity to sample unweathered rocks and indigenous gases continuously from a section of the upper
crust. Information about the evolution of fluids in space and time may derive from investigations of the
chemical and isotopic fingerprints of rocks and minerals, which were influenced by fluid/rock interaction,
fluid inclusions trapped as remnants of past fluids, and the chemical-isotopic composition of fresh fluids
present in open cavities and fractures.
The role of volatile components in the chemical and physical processes in the Earth’s crust has been
repeatedly emphasized. Volatiles mainly influence melting and crystallization processes, mineral reactions
during metamorphism, and rheological properties of rocks. The most abundant volatiles in common
crustal rocks are water and carbon dioxide. Little is known about the distribution and behavior of
hydrocarbons, hydrogen, nitrogen and noble gases in the continental crust. These elements are minor
components in crystalline rocks, but they have a large potential in tracing mass and heat transport
processes. Moreover, noble gas (4He, 40Ar) and N in natural gases, basement fluids, and fluid inclusions can
be used as indicators of the fluid sources and they are thus helpful in trying to solve questions of fluid
generation and evolution.
Real-time analysis of gases dissolved in the drilling mud is proposed to complement laboratory analyses
of large volume fluid samples recovered during downhole testing and pumping as well as small-volume fluid
samples extracted from core material and drill cuttings. The system that will be used has the capability to
do both automated measurements and automated gas sampling for subsequent isotope analysis. The
gases will be run into a portable gas mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph and a Radon detector and
quantitatively analyzed for N2, O2, Ar, He, CO2, H2, H2S, Rn, and hydrocarbons. This real-time study will
provide critical samples and analyses of ephemeral gas/fluid pockets penetrate during drilling that might
otherwise escape unnoticed, and will provide essential guidance for decisions related to later fluid sampling
and insitu hydrologic testing. This technique was developed during drilling of the German KTB borehole and
used in numerous scientific drilling projects since then (Wiersberg & Erzinger, 2006; Erzinger et al 2004, 2006).
The degree and extent of the hot spot’s partial melt and magmatic heat may also be estimated from
gas/volatile influxes into the groundwater system. Boreholes, even when relatively deep, sample directly
only a subset of the total rock record between the surface and partial melts, magma chambers, or the
Earth’s mantle. Consequently, the degree and spatial extent of partial melting in the crust or mantle,
11
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
possibly representing a recently active plume, may be more readily constrained by indirect measurements
such as magmatic heat and gas (e.g., 3He) fluxes. Similarly, other indirect techniques including seismic
tomography often require some independent measure such as magmatic heat and gas signals to
distinguish between partial melt and compositional causes for wave speed reductions.
Heat and gas transfer through the (upper) crust to Earth's surface is non-trivial, however, as it typically
occurs via multiple paths of conduction and (buoyancy- and/or topography-driven) advection due to
groundwater flow. The groundwater system effectively serves as a natural heat and gas sampling system
integrating the signals over large subsurface volumes, but must be viewed as a filter or transfer/receiver
function that needs to be understood. Permeability, k, porosity, n, thermal conductivity, KT, as well as
radiogenic heat (PH) and gas (PG) production, even at great depth, can strongly influence near-surface
measurement and subsequent interpretation of these signals (e.g., Saar et al 2005). The proposed deep
boreholes would allow development of a coupled heat-gas-groundwater flow model for the region that is
constrained by actual measurements of k, n, KT, PH, and PG down to great depths within and below the SRP
aquifer. Only then can heat and gas content data be used to infer the magmatic heat and gas influx into the
aquifer and to deduce extents of partial melting.
Education and Outreach – Broader Impacts: Education and outreach are integral to HOTSPOT: the
Snake River Drilling Project. These efforts include both the training of next-generation scientists through
support of graduate and undergraduate research efforts, and outreach to the broader K-12 education
community. Graduate and undergraduate students will have research support opportunities through the
umbrella science program and through individual PI studies on focused aspects of the core; they will also
have the opportunity to participate in the core logging and sampling operations. This hands-on training is
essential to the training and education of graduate students and undergraduates alike, and is considered
central to producing a new generation of earth scientists with strong grounding in field-based study.
Teachers and students will have the exciting opportunity to experience authentic science in real time.
We will encourage educators and their students to become involved in this exciting scientific collaboration
by visiting a dedicated web site, teaching and learning about the Yellowstone region and Hot Spot Regions
around the world like Hawaii. As part of our commitment to educational outreach we will develop and
maintain an up-to-date website of the activities taking place on site and in the laboratories of participating
scientists. We will follow the Hawaiian Drilling Project’s lead in making sensitive maps (i.e., clickable lithologic
columns). These sensitive maps will be able to call up photographs of the cores and/or descriptions of the
lithologic units. As the project proceeds, these sensitive maps can include scientific results (e.g., physical or
chemical properties). We will also select video of the on-going project (Quicktime® format) to post on the
website so that students can see how science actually works. The K-12 education section on the website will
include activities and videos made for younger students to help them better understand the project and
the geology. We will highlight numerous scientists as they work on the project in short videos that will
interest K-12 students. Finally, we will make efforts to involve in-service teachers with visits to the drill site
and the core logging facilities. These teachers will be chosen to share their experiences with other teachers
in their regions and to provide a stronger sense of engagement. Other aspects of our outreach efforts will
include providing explanatory exhibit materials for local communities and for Craters of the Moon National
Monument, which is dedicated to basalt flows in the eastern SRP.
Additional Scientific Investigations
The investigations listed above are considered essential to the success of the project and will be funded
by the umbrella science budget for initial core characterization that we will submit with our NSF proposal, or
by individual PI-sponsored proposals to domestic funding agencies. The investigations listed here represent
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
significant additions to Project Hotspot that will leverage the newly obtained core and drill holes to enhance
our understanding of the magmatic system, or to understand other processes that can only be studied in
deep drill holes. These investigations fall into two categories: (1) those that do not require core samples, but
which may be carried out on core to provide additional information to enhance our understanding of
these samples, and (2) those with goals unrelated, or only peripherally related, to Project Hotspot that
require deep drill holes.
In order to be successful this project must include essential scientific investigations that address the
fundamental scientific questions presented above. We propose to approach these investigations using a
model for initial core characterization that will include funding for a complete geochemical and physical survey
of the core as it comes out of the ground. These data will be posted to the project‘s secure website so that
all participants can evaluate them and chose appropriate samples or sample strategies for more detailed
investigations, which will be funded by separate PI-initiated proposals. In addition to the essential scientific
investigations, there are a range of additional investigations that will enhance the value of the core but are
not essential to the success of this project. These additional investigations will be funded separately,
however, some will require special sampling during drilling (e.g., aquifer tests) that must be built into the
drilling budget.
Basalt-Rhyolite Interaction: Basic questions addressed through deep drilling of a continental plume
track include identifying the role of basalts prior to and after eruption of large-volume rhyolites, how this
process may change in space and time, and how basalts and rhyolites interact and track physical-chemical
changes of the hotspot in time and space. Our immediate goal is characterizing the physical and chemical
variations of basalts and rhyolites. This analysis will complement parallel geological, geochemical and
geophysical approaches towards unraveling temporal and spatial variations and will be used for the
elaboration of truly valid models of plume-related magmatism and volcanism.
The following simulations and characterizations will be performed by our research unit: (1) simulation
of interaction processes in the impact region of a plume and in the magma chamber, using mixing and
assimilation experiments with the viscosimeter and the centrifuge to test interaction, mixing and
contamination/assimilation processes of different natural magmatic products. These studies also aim to
assess and model the efficiency for SRP magmas to mix before the onset of fractional crystallization, mainly
in the impact region of the plume; (2) characterization of physico-chemical parameters of natural
magmatic products: viscosity measurements using different techniques for different temperature ranges
(viscosimeter, uniaxial press and micropenetration); determination of cooling rate profiles of thick lava
flows using differential scanning calorimetry; density determination at different temperatures using the ptbased double-bob archimedean method, and permeability and fragmentation determinations using the
fragmentation bomb.
Applying newly developed methods for the direct measurement of viscosity and glass-transition
temperatures, we can measure natural multiphase melts in volcanic rocks despite the variations in amount
of crystals and vesicles, which prevent the use of ordinary techniques and/or numerical modeling. The glass
transition temperature will be determined via an advanced dilatometric method, which assesses volume
changes during heating and allows estimation of the cooling rate of volcanic rocks. The viscosity of lavas at
relevant temperatures at different stresses and strain rates will be measured using a high-load, hightemperature uniaxial press. This can well simulate physical constrains in the source region, in the conduit,
and during flow. The contribution of measured parameters will be decisive for improving rheologic and
volcanic eruption models in the SRP and Yellowstone.
Basalt-Rhyolite Alteration: Samples from holes drilled for Hotspot will serve as a comparison with the
successful studies of the cores and fluids from the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Program (Walton & Schiffman 2003;
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Walton et al 2005) and will include a comparison of features in basalt and rhyolite. Only drilling can provide the
vertical succession of mineral reactions, distribution of micro-organisms, and water composition.
Hydrothermal alteration: Hydrothermal alteration occurs at temperatures up to 350ºC and may involve
saline fluids in the brittle-ductile transition above rhyolitic magma chambers. Geochemical affects of
hydrothermal alteration are important in understanding composition and timing of mineralizing systems,
and alteration affects on crustal material that is melted into magmatic systems. Low d18O rhyolitic magmas
are important parts of the caldera-forming magmatic cycles (Bindeman et al 2001; Burroughs et al 2005; Shanks
et al 2006). We will analyze the mineralogy, chemistry, and stable isotope values (H, C, O, S) of hydrothermal
alteration phases that form during moderate to high temperature alteration.
Low-temperature Alteration: Minerals formed during low-temperature alteration (50°-75°C) provide
information about the composition and timing of circulation of ground water. Alteration can occur
wherever groundwater encounters reactive rocks, including rhyolite, tuffs, basalt, basalt glass in
hyaloclastite and pillow basalt, and interbedded soils and sediments. Petrographic examination can
determine the sequence of formation of minerals and other events, such as fracturing and the formation of
endolithic microborings in glass. Chemical and isotopic analysis of the phases can then address the question
of composition of ground water, patterns of flow, and temperature of alteration, perhaps testing the
conclusion from paleobotanical evidence of major subsidence of the Snake River Plain after passage of the
mantle plume tail. The pattern of groundwater flow bears directly on the major question of Hotspot
regarding interaction of hotspots with continental lithosphere.
Microbial trace fossils: Trace fossils resulting from microbial alteration of basalt glass are characteristic in
many marine environments (e.g. Fisk et al 1998; Furnes et al 2004). Studies of microbial alteration in cores
from the continental environments and fresh groundwater of the SRP will be a point of comparison to
those of HSDP-ODP-IODP materials from oceanic environments. Placing microbial structures into a relative
age succession permits interpretation of the timing of initiation of boring and perhaps its duration and rate.
The standing crop, timing of activity, and metabolic rate of microbes are questions in the study of
subsurface biota that can be addressed petrographically (Chapelle et al 2004).
Groundwater system: The Snake River Plain aquifer is one of the largest and most productive aquifers
in fractured basalt and is critical to the agricultural and developed economy of southern Idaho. In addition,
geothermal activity is abundant along the SRP related to deep circulating waters that may flow through
basement, deep rhyolitic rocks, overlying basalts, and intercalated sedimentary units. The proposed drilling
offers unique opportunities to sample waters and characterize hydrologic conditions in basaltic and in
deeper rhyolitic sections. The latter could provide considerable insight into hydrothermal processes that
lead eventually to the formation of low d18O magmas.
We propose sampling waters and measuring hydrologic properties at several levels by packing off
favorable sections and running pump tests. During pump tests we intend to collect water samples at the
well-head for tritium and noble gas isotope analyses (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe), stable isotope analyses (H, C, O,
and S), and for complete chemistry of dissolved constituents. Stable isotopes and dissolved constituents
will be analyzed at the USGS laboratories in Denver, CO. We also will evaluate the possibility of obtaining
downhole samples using the Los Alamos sampler or similar apparatus. Downhole sampling has the
advantage of trapping water and volatile gases at in situ conditions, but can be compromised by the
presence of drilling fluid and mud, and is best deployed after the hole is cleared by pumping formation
waters. Alternatively, downhole water sampling can be done after drilling when natural flows have erased
drilling artifacts, if the holes are maintained and monitored.
Tracking Thermal Uplift & Subsidence: As continental lithosphere moves over a deep-seated mantle
hotspot, the crust is inferred to experience significant uplift of a kilometer or more. Subsequent movement
14
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
of the lithosphere past the hotspot results in a concomitant subsidence that may exceed the original uplift
in magnitude (1.5-2 km). Factors that influence the original uplift include (1) thermal tumescence of the
mantle at the location of the hotspot (Lowry et al 2000), and (2) addition of magma that may underplate,
inflate (intrude), and overplate the crust (as volcanic deposits). Factors that influence subsequent
subsidence include (1) reduced dynamic elevation as the plume tail spreads laterally as it is sheared by
motion of the overriding plate (Ribe and Christiansen 1994; Zhong and Watts 2002), (2) cooling and contraction
of dense mafic sills that underplate or intrude the crust (e.g., mid-crustal sill complexes: Blackwell 1989), and
(3) plastic flow of overthickened lower crust away from axis of the plume track, thinning crust under plume
track and thickening crust away from plume track, both towards some equilibrium thickness (McQuarrie
and Rodgers 1998). This model for the response of continental crust and lithosphere to movement over a
fixed hotspot has not been tested, however, and the magnitude of elevation response to plume-induced
tectonism can only be inferred from current elevations in modern plume-lithosphere systems.
Analysis of the Snake River Plain sedimentary basins will record both global climate, and tectonic
changes. Global changes include the global cooling and drying recorded in ocean cores, beginning in the
Oligocene (Zachos et al 2001), and in particular the reorganization of Pacific Ocean circulation 2.4 million
years ago (Raymo 1994). A regional tectonic cause of climate change will be the uplift of the southern and
central Cascades, beginning 26 million years ago. A second tectonic force will be the local uplift, then
subsidence, as the hotspot geoid-anomaly proceeds eastward. The hotspot “bulge” both uplifts local
topography, making the local climate cooler and wetter, and it produces an eastward-migrating rainshadow and drainage divide (Pierce et al 2002). Each of these climate forcing functions must be taken into
account in interpreting the biological, sedimentary, and geochemical records of environmental change
preserved in lacustrine sediments and fluvial interbeds of the SRP. We can use the climate records from
Eastern Pacific Ocean cores (Zachos et al., 2001; Raymo, 1994) as a record of global change and Pacific Ocean
circulation. The nearby Great Salt Lake climate record (Davis and Moutoux, 1998) integrates the global and
Cascade-uplift signals.
Estimating the environmental impact of the hotspot-uplift will be a unique contribution of this
project. The approximate timing of the hotspot migration is known and local uplift of up to 1 km is
suggested by palynology of sediments from core INEL-1 (Davis et al 2006). Wood and Clemens (2002) have
proposed that the impact of the westward-migrating hotspot was extensive shifting of western-Idaho
drainages into the Columbia-River system, and eventually resulting in overflow of Lake Idaho. Detrital
zircons (Link et al 2002) have demonstrated the progressive integration of the Snake River Plain drainages,
following the overflow.
Paleo-climate of intra-continental North America during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene:
Holes in the western SRP rift basin will penetrate several hundred meters of Glenns Ferry Formation, midlate Pliocene sediments of Lake Idaho, extinct since ca. 2.2 Ma, overlain by Pleistocene diatomaceous lake
sequences of Bruneau Formation. Lake sediments are both overlain and underlain by basalt and contain
tephra layers suitable for dating. Unlike other extinct lakes in the Great Basin, which experienced several
cycles of dessication and filling, diatom fossil flora and fish remains from ‘paleo-Lake Idaho’ suggest that it
was cold and deep (> 200 m). Unusual endemic species of ostracodes and diatoms further indicate species
evolution in a long-lived relatively stable lake environment. Cyclic changes of forest to steppe vegetation
documented in a 300-meter sequence of fine uniform lacustrine silts drilled near Bruneau in 1991 suggest
the potential for resolving the orbitally-driven precipitation/ evaporation cycles in mid-continent North
America (Thompson 1992). The sequence of rift Lake Idaho is therefore somewhat similar to the sequence of
siliceous lacustrine silts of Lake Baikal rift, the first lake to be successfully drilled using an ODP-based
15
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
technology. With Lake Idaho now extinct, a further advantage is that drilling can use standard land–based
technology.
Given the prolonged continuous deposition of fine hemipelagic sediments in Lake Idaho, these
lacustrine sequences comprise a unique archive for regional climatic and environmental change. Coring this
remarkable sequence by the SRP Drilling Project adds a significant paleoclimate-focused component to our
proposal. Prior studies show that Lake Idaho sediments faithfully record the regional climate response to
the Pliocene warm optimum around 3.5-3.2 Ma and to the initiation of the northern hemisphere glaciation
at ca. 2.7 Ma (e.g., Thompson, 1992) - major global climatic shifts which are poorly represented in continuous
continental sedimentary archives globally. Located in the direct westerly pathway of Pacific moisture, Lake
Idaho is ideally positioned to record the interplay between the hypothesized enhanced moisture transport
and high-latitude cooling at ca. 2.7 Ma. Change in moisture transport at this time as a result of changes in
the North Pacific stratification has been recently suggested to be a major cause for initiation of Northern
Hemisphere glaciation (Haug et al 2005).
Nash et al (2006) have documented 165 major ash eruptions during the evolution of the SRP hotspot
track. Many of these eruptions were large enough to induce significant stress on both the terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems. Fossil records preserved in the lacustrine sediments will offer insights into how these
ecosystems respond to and recover from environmental stress. When combined with the high-resolution
chronostratigraphic studies, these fossils will also document the time scales over which the ecosystems
respond and recover. Cyclostratigraphy is built on the astronomical time scale, which relies on the theory
that Earth's orbital parameters induce periodic insolation changes that affect the climate system, that in
turn are transferred by climate-sensitive sedimentation into the stratigraphic record. The periods of these
changes serve as high-resolution metronomes of elapsed time.
Major science issues of the paleo-lake Idaho component of SRP drilling include: (1) Testing the
hypothesis for the role of moisture transport to North America from the Pacific in initiation of Northern
Hemisphere glaciation; (2) Examine the response of the Great Basin hydrological system to the Pliocene
climatic optimum; (3) Use the high resolution lacustrine records to infer the chronology of biotic recovery
in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the post-eruption intervals following some of the largest
explosive volcanic eruptions known; (4) Resolve late Neogene record of biotic and landscape evolution in
response to tectonic and magmatic processes related to SRP-Yellowstone hotspot evolution; (5) Develop a
“master reference section” for regional biostratigraphy and hence for sediments inter-bedded in basalts
and rhyolites at other HOTSPOT sites. The Lake Idaho lacustrine section represents a world-class archive of
intracontinental climate fluxuations during the Neogene. By generating the record of Plio-Pleistocene
paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental change from paleo-Lake Idaho our project will provide essential data
to help improve the ability of climate models to predict climates substantially different from that of today.
Project Management
This work will be organized and carried out by a consortium of universities and government agencies,
with Shervais acting as overall Project Director. Our overall organizational structure relies on a central core
of group leaders for each major area (Table 1) who will manage studies and sampling within their area, and
who will meet to resolve disputes between groups concerning sampling protocol, etc. We anticipate that
basic science studies (basalt and rhyolite geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, radiometric dating of
volcanic rocks and sediments, magnetostratigraphy, core logging and documentation, bore hole logging)
will be funded under an umbrella grant from the National Science Foundation or in the case of borehole
studies, by ICDP; we anticipate that additional projects using core will be funded through separate science
proposals to national science funding agencies in the PI’s home country. Most of the PI’s and their co-
16
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
investigators have expertise in working with drill core from the Snake River Plain, the Savannah River
National Laboratory, ODP-IODP, or lake drilling (Baikal-Qinghai-Great Salt Lake), so we are well equipped for
the challenge of this project. Several of the PI’s have extensive experience managing large budgets, science
personnel, and support staff, and all of the principal and co-investigators have extensive research
experience and publication records in their areas of expertise. Large portions of the SRP are owned by the
federal government and administered by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the Department
of the Interior. BLM managers are supportive of research efforts on public land and few problems are
anticipated. Private land is also potentially available for research at relatively low cost.
Table 1. Summary of Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators for
Hotspot: Snake River Scientific Drilling Project.
Essential Science Investigations
Basalt Petrology-GeochemistryMagnetostratigraphy
Rhyolite Petrology-GeochemistryMagnetostratigraphy
Isotope GeochemistryGeochronology
Magma differentiation
Borehole Logging
Crustal fluids and gases
Principal Investigator
John Shervais0
Michael Branney1
Barry Hanan0
Francois Holtz2
Doug Schmitt3
Jörg Erzinger2
Co-Investigators
Geist0, Hughes0, Vetter0, Verosub0,
Champion0
Wolff0, Morgan0, McCurry0, Verosub0,
Shanks0
Graham0, Reid0, Mukasa0, Duncan0,
Singer0, Hoernele2, van de Bogaard2
Koepke2, Christiansen0, Almeev2
ICDP OSG, Blackwell0
Saar0, Shanks0, Twinings0
Additional Science Investigations Group Leader*
Additional Investigators
Basalt & Rhyolite Interactions
Cristina DeCampos2
Dingwell2, Hess2, Lavallée2
Basalt-Rhyolite Alteration
Anthony Walton0
Fisk0, Colwell0, Banerjee3, Shanks0
4
Paleo-climate, Uplift modeling
Alexander Prokopenko
Khursevich5, Davis0, Cohen0, Link0
Note: International investigators shown in italics: Superscripts after names denote investigators home country. 0-USA;
1-United Kingdom; 2-Germany; 3-Canada; 4-US/Russia; 5-Belarus. *Additional Science Investigations will be funded
separately so the Group Leaders are not Principal Investigators on this proposal.
Data System and Data Policy for Project Hotspot: Project Hotspot recognizes the importance of
making data generated by the research available to all interested parties following a suitable moratorium
period. The acquisition, storage, management and dissemination of data and metadata require that we
establish a project data system. Hotspot is designed as a multidisciplinary project and thus has rather
extensive and complex geoinformatics needs. To meet these needs, we have elected to utilize a partnership
of three existing NSF-funded geoinformatics efforts: CoreWall (www.corewall.org), PaleoStrat
(www.paleostrat.org), and EarthChem (www.earthchem.org). This collaborative effort will be fully
compatible with and connected to the ICDP "Information Network" to insure broad dissemination of
information. CoreWall has worked with the ICDP Information network, in particular the "Drilling
Information System" (DIS), and the addition of PaleoStrat and EarthChem will expand the data types and
capabilities to meet the needs of Project Hotspot. Although additional funds will be required for the
Hotspot data system, we will be able to build on what these projects have already developed and provide all
researchers with open access to data generated by the Hotspot project. This three-way partnership has
already been established, and will provide a robust and cost-effective way for Project Hotspot to utilize a
data system where data will be preserved and made available beyond the lifetime of the project.
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HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
The CoreWall Suite is a collaborative development for a real-time stratigraphic correlation, core
description and data visualization system used by the marine, terrestrial and Antarctic science
communities. CoreWall provides the technology to quickly log and correlate core, and to visualize these
and other data remotely during and after the drilling operations. PaleoStrat provides the basic construct to
capture stratigraphic data (physical stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy,
magneto-stratigraphy, and will be expanded to include volcanic stratigraphy), geochemistry and
geochronology. EarthChem is a recognized authority in geochemical data, and will provide the lead for
igneous geochemistry and geochronology, including any necessary revisions and updates to PaleoStrat's
approaches. This three-way partnership has already been established, and will provide a robust and costeffective way for Project Hotspot to utilize a data system where data will be preserved and made available
beyond the lifetime of the project.
It is now reasonably well established that Geoinformatics (GI) is the platform for a new paradigm in
how we conduct our research. For a research program such as Project Hotspot, GI also provides the
mechanism to insure the maximum interaction among researchers involved in the project. We envision the
establishment of secure workspaces where data are gathered in real time or shortly thereafter, and where
individual researchers or teams of researchers have sole access to data through a moratorium period (here
proposed as 18 months), after which the data will be available to all Hotspot researchers, and after 24
months, publically available. This is similar to ODP/IODP data policies. Funding for implementation of the
data system will be included in the umbrella science funding from NSF.
Drilling Plan
The drilling plan calls for two deep holes in the central SRP and one shallow hole in the western SRP. The
two deep holes in the central SRP comprise an offset pair, with one hole sited to recover the upper part of
the section and the second hole sited to recover the lower portion of the section. This will allow us to
recover a complete section through the volcanics – something that has never been accomplished in any of
the existing holes – at minimal cost per meter. It will also allow us to site each hole for optimal recovery of
section: the maximum thickness of basalt is found along the axis of the plain, but sites here are likely to
coincide with sections of thick intracaldera fill that we need to avoid in our rhyolite hole. The shallow
western hole will be sited to recover the upper portion of the Mountain Home section not cored by the
Mountain Home AFB hole. These holes are described in more detail below. The US Continental Drilling
Consortium (DOSECC) is planning to purchase a new drill rig with a total depth capability of 2400 m using
PQ, HQ and NQ wireline core. This will allow us to reach our projected depth targets (1.5 to 1.6 km) with the
capacity to penetrate deeper.
(1) Hotspot Hole #1 Minidoka (basalt). This hole will be located a few km north or northeast of Minidoka
along the axial volcanic high of the central SRP (figure 2). Potential field, resistivity, and well data have been
used to infer a basalt thickness of 1.2 km to 1.4 km in this area (Lindholm, 1996), which lies ~25 west of the
Great Rift. The topographic axial volcanic high is apparently mirrored by a keel of basalt that runs from the
central plain to the eastern plain, and thins both towards the margins and towards the ends (figure 3). The
hole will spud into late Pleistocene basalts around 200 ka in age and should end in rhyolite around 1.4 km
depth. We plan to continue drilling ~200-300 m into the rhyolite to allow correlation with Hotspot Hole 2.
Anticipated total depth for this hole is 1.5 km. Most of the land in this area is public land administered by
BLM, so permitting should not be a problem; there is also private land available if needed.
(2) Hotspot Hole #2 Twin Falls (rhyolite). This hole will be located northeast of Twin Falls along the southern
margin of the central SRP (figure 2). Potential field, resistivity, and well data have been used to infer a basalt
thickness of 30 m to 150 m in this area (Lindholm, 1996), which is confirmed by exposures in the Snake River
18
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Canyon at Twin Falls. The location of this hole is based on our goal of penetrating a complete section of
proximal rhyolite outflow sheets from the underlying eruptive complex and sampling the underlying
basement – which may include pre-rhyolite basalt, based on our model for the hotspot volcanic
progression. Deep holes near the volcanic axis of the SRP must first penetrate thick sections of basalt before
hitting rhyolite. More importantly, locations near the central axis of the plain are likely to penetrate the
central regions of the rhyolite eruptive complexes, sampling thick sections of intra-caldera fill (breccias,
lavas, ignimbrites) that may be underlain by intrusive rhyolite as in the drill hole INEL-1, which bottoms in
rhyolite at 3 km depth (Morgan et al 1984). Hotspot Hole #2 will be situated to penetrate a thin cover of
basalt and sediment, underlain by proximal rhyolite outflow sheets of finite thickness. These may be
underlain by pre-rhyolite basalts, which will be crucial to understanding the Hotspot magmatic system, and
have never been sampled before (these basalts do not occur outside the margins of the plain). Anticipated
total depth for this hole is 1.6 km. There is a wide swath of public land administered by BLM north of the
Snake River here; private and state lands are also available.
(3) Hotspot Hole #3 Upper MH (basalt, sediment). This hole will be located south of Mountain Home, near
Mountain Home Air Force Base. The target for this hole is to sample the upper part of the section
penetrated by the Mountain Home AFB drill hole, which was rotary drilled to ~330 m, and recover a
complete section of the upper plateau-forming basalts and the underlying lacustrine sediments. The upper
basalts formed after a prolonged volcanic hiatus of 3-5 million years; comparing these with the older
sublacustrine basalts will be central to our understanding of long-term hotspot volcanism. The lacustrine
sediments provide a record of climate change during the late Pliocene to Pleistocene, and contain fossil
fauna that may record the impact of major cataclysmic volcanic eruptions on faunal diversity and
evolution. The anticipated total depth for this hole is 700 m, so it may be drilled with a smaller, less expensive
rig than the other holes (e.g., the DOSECC CS-1500). BLM administered public land is found all around MH
AFB, along with blocks of private and state land.
Wireline Logs: Wireline logging will be carried out by the Operational Support Group of ICDP and the
data will be analyzed by Doug Schmitt (Alberta). We estimate that wireline logging may proceed in two
stages per hole, depending on how deep and when casing is set. This will require several visits by the OSG for
each hole. This is reflected in the budget request. We plan to implement a full array of wireline logs, including
natural gamma ray, magnetic susceptibility, 3-component magnetometer with dip meter, electrical
resistivity, sonic, ultrasonic imaging, and caliper logs. We will also obtain temperature profiles and high
resolution vertical seismic profiles of each deep hole.
Core Handling: Core handling will be modified after procedures used by Phase 1 of the Hawaii Scientific
Drilling Project (pilot hole). Initial logging will be carried out on site, along with collection of samples for
biological studies, which must occur before washing the core using sterile collection vessels. After the core is
oriented, washed, and dried, it will be marked with up arrows, double lines, and footage markers, boxed, and
photographed digitally. Each box will be described briefly, including major lithologic boundaries, flow
contacts, or other obvious features. Because we anticipate drilling three holes in separate locations, a core
logging facility will be set up at Utah State University, about 3 hours from the drill sites, for more advanced
logging, scanning, splitting, and sampling. At the USU logging facility cores will be scanned using the Geotek
multi-scanner for magnetic susceptibility, p-wave velocity, gamma ray, and resistivity, and then scanned
optically in the round prior to splitting and scanning of the split core faces. These images will be loaded into
Corewall where they will form the basis of a detailed core log that can be uploaded into data space when
completed. After logging, representative samples will be chosen from the working core half for petrography,
geochemistry, and magnetic polarity characterization. The archive portion of the core (one-third original
diameter) will be wrapped and returned to the box with the working two-thirds of the core. Core will be
19
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
stored at USU until each hole is completed and core is logged; the core will then be shipped for long-term
storage, where it will be opened again for the sampling party. We are currently negotiating with two longterm core storage facilities: the USGS facility in Denver, and the Bureau of Economic Geology facility in
Houston.
Sediment core from the Mtn Home site will be handled differently from the other core. Because it is
thought to consist entirely of Pliocene-Pleistocene lake sediments below 200 m depth, this core will be drilled
with plastic core liners and sent directly to the LaCore facility at the University of Minnesota for processing.
As a part of the initial core description we plan (1) multi-sensor continuous whole-core logging; (2) core
opening and splitting longwise for initial core description and high-resolution imaging; (3) smear slide
observations of lithology; (4) preliminary diatom biostratigraphy on 200 samples, i.e., ca. 1 sample per 3 m
involving scanning electron microscope imaging of diatoms. This latter part is listed as a part of initial core
description, because it is essential to gain understanding of the preliminary age model and hence
sedimentation rates and to gain better understanding of the depositional setting at the drill site.
Intact clearly labeled lake sediment cores in capped and taped standard GLAD butyrate liner will be
shipped to the LacCore facility at the University of Minnesota. As soon as the cores arrive at LacCore
facility, the LacCore team begins whole-core multi-sensor logging; this work will be complete prior to arrival
of a science crew. The estimated rate of multi-sensor logging at 1-cm sample resolution is 20 m per day.
Because of LacCore commitment to lake sediment research, core archiving and curation, this important
part of work comes at no extra cost to the project. The only LACCORE budgeted items for initial core
description are supplies and core shipping costs.
Sample Distribution and Management: Initial core characterization will focus on petrography,
geochemistry, isotopic, magnetic polarity, and age investigations. Petrographic and geochemical samples
will be chosen from each flow in the basalts, and from each unit or every 30 m in the rhyolites. Polished thin
sections will be made for each sample along with representative powders and chips; these will be distributed
among the principal investigators and co-investigators for initial core characterization. Magnetic polarity
plugs will be taken with a drill press every meter of fresh basalt or rhyolite. As the magnetic polarity scale is
built, samples will be selected for Ar-Ar dating, Sample distribution will be managed by Shervais and a
committee of PI’s who will negotiate sample distribution policies and conflicts in the initial sample plan. To
the extent feasible, initial core characterization will be carried out in concert with drilling so that data are
available to the participating scientists shortly after drilling completes. Some data will take longer (isotopic
studies, Ar-dating) but most of the petrography, whole rock geochemistry, and magnetic polarity studies
should be completed within a month or two of completion.
Long Term Core Storage: Long-term core storage is being arranged at this time and will be finalized
before funds are released. We are currently negotiating with two facilities, the USGS Denver Core Storage
Facility and the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) Houston Core repository. The USGS Core Storage
Facility in Denver is a modern core facility with large examining areas and core processing capabilities. The
BEG Houston core repository is the former Exxon core facility; it is now an NSF-funded core repository with
state of the art facilities. We plan to visit both facilities before choosing, and to ensure that whichever facility
is chosen, access to the core will be open to citizens of all countries. Paleo Lake Idaho core (hole #3) will be
stored at the LaCore facility, Univ Minnesota.
Time Table: The time table for drilling and initial core characterization will be set during a technical
workshop tentatively scheduled for Summer or Fall 2008 if funding is available. Our current plan is to stage
the drilling and core analysis over two or three fiscal years to minimize the impact on both the funding
agencies and on the participating scientists. This will allow us to focus on each core and its characterization
20
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
before moving on to the next drill site. We anticipate drilling our first hole in Fall 2009, with 6-10 months
between holes (e.g. Summer 2010 for hole #2, Spring 2011 for hole #3). This schedule is contingent on
funding from NSF or other agencies by Summer 2009. It may also depend on when DOSECC purchases its
new drilling rig, and how soon we can work into their drilling schedule.
Technical Workshop
We request funding for year 2008 to convene a technical workshop that will assemble the Principal
Investigators, drilling personnel from DOSECC and ICDP, representatives from the BLM (Bureau of Land
Management), and a few co-investigators with specific site knowledge to finalize the exact locations of the
drill holes, the technical specifications for drilling depths, casing, and logging, and a timetable for drilling and
logging operations. This workshop will insure that the design of each hole meets the needs of the principal
investigators and is technically feasible within the budget constraints. It will also allow the drilling personnel
to interact closely with BLM personnel who will have environmental oversight of the drilling sites. The drilling
plan and drilling operations budget will be finalized at this time and any modifications will be transmitted to
ICDP and incorporated into the NSF Continental Dynamics proposal that will be submitted in November
2008. To do this, we will need to receive funding and hold the workshop before the end of September 2008.
Expected Benefits – Societal Relevance
In addition to the wealth of knowledge and student training generated by this project, it will also
produce an assessment of the long term volcanic hazards associated with plume volcanism under
continental lithosphere and the recurrence interval of “super volcanoes” in the Yellowstone-SRP system. It
will give us deeper understanding of how continental crust and lithosphere evolve in response to mantle
underplating, and how we may recognize and assess the products of mantle plumes in the geologic record.
Collateral science studies will contribute to our knowledge of global climate change (especially concerning
the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation) and of ecosystem response to environmental stress. The
recent TV-movie “Supervolcano” generated intense public interest in volcanic hazards and an awareness of
their potential impact on both the short-term atmospheric response to immense volcanic eruptions and
to their long-term climate implications. Our project will follow-up on this interest by establishing the longterm record of volcanic activity along the plume track.
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27
A.
NW
SE
NW
SE
C.
B.
Figure 1. Impact of the Snake River - Yellowstone plume on North America. (A) Geoid map of North
America, showing prominent positive geoid anomalie of +15 m centered on current location of Snake
River-Yellowstone hotspot. (B) digital topographic map which shows effect of the plume tail on topography,
cutting across the regional Basin & Range trendtoform a broad depression approximately 100 km across
and several hundred km long. White arrow shows direction of North American plate motion, dashed white
line shows approximate location of seismic tomograph section in figure 1C. (C) Seismic tomograph of
Yellowstone thermal anomaly; anomaly plunges approximately 65º WNW (plane of section). Note the high
velocity (cold) lithospheric root of Wyoming craton, which extends to at least 300 km depth SE of the
thermal anomaly. Tomograph from Yuan and Dueker, 2005.
Sr 0.70
6
Yellow
Sugar City
0.7 km
MH-2
0.7 km
Mtn Home
1.3 km
Wendell
0.34 km
Yellow
Sugar City
INL-WO2
1.52 km
Deer Flat
3.0 km
Sr 0.70
6
(c)
(a)
INL-WO2
Deer Flat
Minidoka
1.6 km
MH-2
Mtn Home
Existing Holes
Rhyolite
Yellow
(d)
Proposed New Sites
Sr 0.70
6
Basalt
Sr 0.70
6
(b)
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Twin Falls
1.8 km
Sediment
Wendell
Yellow
Sugar City
Sugar City
INL-WO2
Deer Flat
MH-2
MH-2
Mtn Home
INL-WO2
Deer Flat
Wendell
Twin Falls
Minidoka
Mtn Home Wendell
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Figure 2. (a) Digital topographic map showing location of existing drill holes (red hex) that have been cored or partially cored (Mtn Home, WO-2,
Sugar City) or which have preserved cuttings at 3 m intervals (Deer Flat). Western and central holes have basalt interalated with sediment, eastern
holes have basalt on or intercalated with rhyolite. Also shown are locations and depths of proposed new deep core holes (yellow hex). (b) Regional
geomagnetic map, (c) Bouger gravity anomaly map, and (d) isostatic gravity anomaly map; all maps cover same geographic area, hot colors = higher,
cool colors = lower values; data from USGS Mineral Resources. Grid = boundaries of USGS 7.5’ quadrangles. Roads, railroads, and Sr=0.706 line shown
for reference. Yellow = Yellowstone caldera complex.
Hotspot: Snake River Scientific Drilling Project -- Figure 3
Basalt thickness estimated from resistivity surveys and well data.
Sugar City
0.7 km
Deer Flat
2.75 km
(cuttings)
Hotspot #1
(basalt)
Mtn Home AFB
1.34 km
(1 km cored)
Hotspot #3
(MH Upper)
Hotspot #2
(rhyolite)
Wendell
0.33 km
Proposed New Holes
Existing Holes (with depth)
Lindholm 1996, USGS Professional Paper 1408-A
WO-2
1.5 km
JOHN W. SHERVAIS
Professor and Head, Department of Geology
Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322
[email protected]
Professional Preparation
San Jose State University, California, Geology, B.Sc. 1971
University of California, Santa Barbara , Geosciences, Ph.D. 1979
Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland,
NATO Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institut für Mineralogie und Petrographie, 1979–1980
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Post-Doctoral Associate, Lunar and Mantle Petrology, 1982–1984
Appointments
Professor and Head, Department of Geology, Utah State University, 2000-Present
Professor, University of South Carolina, 1984-2000
Associate Professor, 1988–1992, Assistant Professor, 1984–1988
Research Associate, University of Tennessee, Knoxville: 1982–1984
Visiting Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis: 1982
Visiting Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara: 1981
NATO Post-Doctoral Fellow, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland: 1979–1980
Awards and Honors
Fellow, Geological Society of America, 1993
NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland, 1980
University of California Regent's Fellowship, 1976–1977
Selected Publications
Hanan, BB, Shervais, JW, and Vetter, SK, 2008, Yellowstone plume-continental lithosphere interaction beneath the
Snake River Plain, Geology, v. 36, 51-54.
Shervais, JW, Branney, MJ, Geist, DJ, Hanan, BB, Hughes, SS, Prokopenko, AA, Williams, DF, 2006, HOTSPOT:
The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project – Tracking the Yellowstone Hotspot Through Space and Time. Scientific
Drilling, no 3, 56-57. Doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.3.14.2006.
Shervais, JW, Vetter, SK and Hanan, BB, 2006, A Layered Mafic Sill Complex beneath the Eastern Snake River Plain:
Evidence from Cyclic Geochemical Variations in Basalt, Geology, v. 34, 365-368.
Shervais, JW, 2006, Significance of Subduction-related Accretionary Complexes in Early Earth Processes, in Uwe
Reimold and Roger Gibson, editors, Early Earth Processes, Geol Soc of America, Special Paper 405, 173-192.
Shervais, JW, Zoglman-Schuman, MM, and Hanan , BB, 2005, The Stonyford Volcanic Complex: A Forearc
Seamount in the Northern California Coast Ranges, Journal of Petrology, v. 46 (10), 2091-2128.
Shervais, JW, Shroff, G, Vetter, SK, Matthews, S, Hanan, BB and McGee, JJ, 2002, Origin of the western Snake River
Plain: Implications from stratigraphy, faulting, and the geochemistry of basalts near Mountain Home, Idaho. in
Bonnichsen, White, & McCurry (eds) Tectonic and Magmatic Evolution of the Snake River Plain Volcanic
Province, Idaho Geological Survey Bulletin 30, Moscow, Idaho, 343-361.
Vetter, SK and Shervais, JW, 1992, Continental Basalts of the Boise River Group near Smith Prairie, Idaho. Journal of
Geophysical Research, 97/B6, 9043-9061.
Dennis, AJ, Shervais, JW, Mauldin, J, and Maher, HD, Jr, 2004, Petrology and Geochemistry of Neoproterozoic
Volcanic Arc Terranes Beneath the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Savannah River Site, South Carolina, Geological Society
of America Bulletin, v 116, 572–593.
Shervais, JW, Murchey, B, Kimbrough, DL, Renne, P, and Hanan, BB, 2005, Radioisotopic and Biostratigraphic Age
Relations in the Coast Range Ophiolite, Northern California: Implications for the Tectonic Evolution of the Western
Cordillera. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 117, no 5/6, p.633-653.
Shervais, JW, Kimbrough, DL, Renne, P, Hanan, BB, Murchey, B, Snow, CA, Schuman, MZ, and Beaman, BJ, 2004,
Multi-Stage Origin of the Coast Range Ophiolite, California: Implications for the Life Cycle of Supra-Subduction
Zone Ophiolites. International Geology Review, v 46, 289-315.
Shervais, JW and McGee, JJ, 1999, KREEP cumulates in the western lunar highlands: Ion & electron microprobe
study of alkali anorthosites and norites from Apollo 14. American Mineralogist, vol 84, 806-820.
Shervais, JW and McGee, JJ, 1998, Ion & electron microprobe study of Mg suite troctolites, norite, and anorthosites
from Apollo 14: evidence for urKREEP assimilation during petrogenesis of Apollo 14 Mg-suite rocks. Geochim.
Cosmochim. Acta, 62/17, 3009-3023.
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1
Shervais, JW, Dennis, AJ, McGee, JJ, and Secor, DT, 2003, Deep in the heart of Dixie: Pre-Alleghanian eclogite and
HP granulite metamorphism in the Carolina terrane, South Carolina. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 21: 65-80.
Mukasa, SB and Shervais, JW, 1999, Growth of subcontinental lithosphere: evidence from repeated dike injections in
the Balmuccia lherzolite massif, Italian Alps. Lithos, v. 48, 287-316.
Shervais, JW, and Mukasa, SB, 1991, The Balmuccia Orogenic Lherzolite Massif, Italy. Jour. Petrology, Special
Lherzolites Issue, 155-174.
Howard, KA, Shervais, JW, and McKee, EH, 1982, Canyon-filling lavas and lava dams on the Boise River, and their
significance for evaluating downcutting during the last two million years, in Bonnichsen and Breckenridge (eds.)
The Cenozoic Geology of Idaho, Bulletin 26, Idaho Geological Survey, Bulletin 26, 629-641.
In press
Metcalf, RV, and Shervais, JW, 2008, Supra-Subduction Zone (SSZ) Ophiolites: Is There Really An "Ophiolite
Conundrum"?, in James E Wright and John W Shervais, editors, Ophiolites, Arcs, and Batholiths, Geological
Society of America, Special Paper 438.
Shervais, JW, 2008, Tonalites, Trondhjemites, and Diorites of the Elder Creek Ophiolite, California: Low Pressure
Slab Melting and Reaction with the Mantle Wedge, in James E Wright and John W Shervais, editors, Ophiolites,
Arcs, and Batholiths, Geological Society of America, Special Paper 438.
Geologic Maps
John W. Shervais, Matthew F. Cooke, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Owinza
Quadrangle, Lincoln County, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-64 scale 1:24,000.
John W. Shervais, Scott H. Matthews, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Owinza
Butte Quadrangle, Jerome and Lincoln Counties, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-65 scale 1:24,000.
Scott H. Matthews, John W. Shervais, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Shoshone
SE Quadrangle, Jerome and Lincoln Counties, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-62 1:24,000.
Scott H. Matthews, John W. Shervais, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Star Lake
Quadrangle, Jerome and Lincoln Counties, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-67 scale 1:24,000.
Matthew F. Cooke, John W. Shervais, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Dietrich
Butte Quadrangle, Lincoln County, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-63 scale 1:24,000.
Matthew F. Cooke, John W. Shervais, John D. Kauffman, and Kurt L. Othberg, 2006, Geologic Map of the Dietrich
Quadrangle, Lincoln County, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-66 scale 1:24,000.
John D. Kauffman, Kurt L. Othberg, John W. Shervais, Matthew F. Cooke, 2005, Geologic Map of the Shoshone
Quadrangle, Lincoln County, Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey, DWM-44, Scale: 1:24000.
Keith A. Howard and John W. Shervais, 1973, Geologic map of Smith Prairie, Elmore County, Idaho: U. S.
Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations, Map 1-818.
Synergistic Activities (reverse chronological order):
(1) Proposed and convened ICDP-funded workshop HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project – Tracking
the Yellowstone Plume through Space and Time, 18-22 May, in Twin Falls, Idaho.
(2) Convened 2 theme sessions on Yellowstone hotspot magmatism and tectonics at American Geophysical Union Fall
2006 Annual meeting in San Francisco.
(3) Co-convened 2 theme sessions on Yellowstone hotspot magmatism and tectonics at Geological Society of America
2005 Annual meeting in Salt Lake City.
(4) Field Trip leader for “Basaltic volcanism of the central and western Snake River Plain, Idaho,” in conjunction with
Geological Society of America 2005 Annual meeting in Salt Lake City.
(5) Co-convened poster session at GSA Rocky Mtn in Boise, Idaho, April 2004: EdMap projects in southern Idaho and
the Snake River Plain.
(6) Oral presentation at GSA Rocky Mtn in Boise, Idaho, April 2004 and at DOSECC Annual Meeting at Rutgers in
May 2004 on Drilling the Snake River Plain.
(7) Poster presentation at Earthscope workshop, Snowbird, Utah, 2002, on Drilling the Snake River Plain.
(8) Co-investigator, with Allen Dennis (USC-Aiken), Savannah River Site, South Carolina: Petrology, geochemistry,
and structure of crystalline basement sampled by deep drill core: 1996-1999. SCUREF Project 170. Results
published in Dennis et al, 2003, GSA Bulletin.
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M.J. Branney: Curriculum Vitae
Dr MICHAEL JOHN BRANNEY physical volcanologist - sedimentologist
Date of birth: March 19, 1960
Nationality: British
Address: Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK. Tel: 44-(0)116-252-3647
FAX: 44-116-(0)252-3918 E-mail: [email protected] www.le.ac.uk/geology/staff/mjb.html
Research interests. Large explosive eruptions; mechanisms; sedimentary responses; environmental effects; hazards.
Volcanic structures: structure and mechanics of caldera subsidence; influences of tectonism and crustal rheology, effects on
eruptive behaviour. Ductile and semi-brittle deformation of hot ignimbrites and lava flows. Catastrophic sedimentation:
transport and depositional mechanisms of pyroclastic density currents, turbidity currents, lahars, hyperconcentrated floods,
debris flows, debris-avalanches, granular flows. Experience: extensive experience worldwide on silicic ignimbrites, lavas,
calderas and caldera lake sedimentation (Wales, Scotland, English Lake District, S. Korea, central Mexico, southern Italy,
Canary Islands, Chile, western USA)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Employment and Education: 1997-2007 Lecturer in Volcanology, University of Leicester, UK. 1996 Faculty Researcher,
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, USA. 1995 Lecturer in Geology, Liverpool University, UK. 1989-95 Senior
Research Assistant - NERC Research Fellow - Senior Research Fellow, Liverpool University. 1984-8 PhD student, Sheffield
University, UK, topic ‘Subaerial explosive volcanism, intrusion, sedimentation, and collapse in the Borrowdale Volcanic
Group, SW Langdale, English Lake District’. 1992 1st Class BSc Special Honours Geology, Sheffield University, UK.
Awards: Fermor Fellowship ’95. Sheffield Town Trustees Scholarship ’86. Buffer Award ’84, Fearnsides Prize ‘81.
Research grants and contracts awarded: Intermediate depth drilling of the Snake River Plain: tracking the Yellowstone
Hotspot through space and time. ICDP workshop, PI’s Shervais, Branney, Geist, Hanan, Hughes, Prokopenko, Williams,
$48,000 2006. Scale and timing of silicic super-eruptions in central Snake River Volcanic Province NERC NIGL-SUERC
£17,330, PI: MJB, 2006. Compositional zoning and the assembly of large ignimbrite sheets during explosive eruptions. UNAM
– Leicester exchange , Branney and Carrasco-Nunez 2005. The palaeontology of Quaternary tephra deposits of southern
Tenerife. NIGL-SUERC (& Pringle MIT) 2003. Physical volcanology and genesis of the Iberian massive sulphides Fellowship,
Geological Society of London. ( £80,000) 1995. Emplacement of the 1991 ignimbrite at Mount Pinatubo Volcano, Philippines
National Science Foundation; $193K (Self: PI; Hawaii University). Eruption and sedimentation of compositionally zoned
ignimbrite, Acatlán, Mexico. NERC Small Grant to Branney and Kokelaar 1995. Ignimbrite vents in calderas of diverse
structural style, SE Korea NERC Research Fellowship £70,000, 1994. Sedimentation from particulate density currents, with
special application to pyroclastic flows and surges NERC Small Grant to Druitt, Branney, Alexander. Origin and
sedimentation of ice-bearing lahars, 1991 eruption of Volcán Hudson, Chile. NERC, Branney (PI) and Gilbert,1993. Clastic
sedimentation following the 1991 eruptions of Hudson Volcano, Southern Chile Royal Society. Branney and Gilbert 1992.
PhD students: 8 PhD funded studentships, 2 in SR Plain: Williams: ‘Emplacement of hot catastrophic density currents over
irregular topography: the volcanology of a recent low aspect-ratio rheomorphic ignimbrite on the island of Pantelleria,
Straits of Sicily’, NERC, 2006-9. Davila: ‘Physical volcanology of hazardous explosive eruptions at ocean-island volcanoes’
Conacyt 2004-7. Ellis: ‘Physical volcanology of explosive super-eruptions of the Snake River Plain region of Idaho, USA’.
NERC, 2004-7. Maher:The origins of fabrics in ignimbrites, and their bearing on depositional mechanisms GTA, 2002-6.
Andrews: ‘Origin, emplacement and deformation history of high-temperature, lava-like ignimbrites: the Grey’s Landing
ignimbrite, Idaho, USA’. NERC 2001-4. Pannell: ‘Quaternary environments and climate on Tenerife using stable isotopes
from terrestrial and marine shells’. NERC 2001-4. Brown: ‘Eruption history and depositional processes of the Poris
ignimbrite of Tenerife and the Glaramara Tuff, UK Lake District’. NERC, 1997-01. Raine: ‘Sedimentary processes in caldera
lakes: Scafell caldera and La Primavera caldera, Mexico; SHELL,1994-8. Post-doc: Sumner: ‘Explosive phreatomagmatic
eruptions at flooded calderas. Roy Soc 1996-7.
MGeol projects (eg’s): Emplacement mechanisms of kimberlites in Botswanan diatremes DeBeers Research Labs. Explosive
eruption styles in the Snake River-Yellowstone volcanic province. Compositional variations in the chemically zoned Arico
ignimbrite, Tenerife, as revealed by glass and crystal compositions. Magma flow perturbation in dykes as revealed by
structural analysis of flow-folded pitchstone, Arran, Scotland.
Professional affiliations and positions held: Associate Editor, Sedimentology; NERC Peer Review College; NERC Standard
Grant Panel; NERC Small Grant Panel; IAVCEI Commission on Explosive Volcanism Committee Member; IAVCEI Commission on
Volcanogenic Sedimentation; Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group Committee, Geological Society, London; Fellow, The
Royal Geological Society, London.
Outreach: The Science Media Centre (London) participant – for interaction with newspapers and TV (2005- ). Appearance on
BBC Radio ‘Rock Solid’ science programme1994, BBC Radio Leicester, BBC Radio Bristol, and BBC Television. Expedition
Scientist for Raleigh International 1992. Author of popular science articles (e.g. New Scientist, the stone industry,
museums). Frequent invited speaker at schools, colleges and scientific societies.
Departmental & Faculty Responsibilities: Co-ordinator “Geology with a year in New Zealand” programme; Acting SubDean for Science Postgraduate Studies; Department Fieldwork Co-ordinator; Dept. Postgraduate Tutor; Internal and External
PhD Examiner; Board of Graduate Studies; Science Faculty Graduate Studies Meeting (acting Chair), Dept Research
Committee; Teaching and Learning Committee; Health & Safety Committee; etc.
Other experience: Referee for research grant proposals, for NSF, USA; Australian Research Council; Marsden Fund Council of
New Zealand; NERC, UK. Reviewer of research articles for >15 international journals.
Convener of international meetings. >10 workshops and symposia convened, including:
1999 Convener & co-leader. IUGG/CEV Workshop ‘Inside Silicic Calderas: interactions of caldera development,
tectonism and hydrovolcanism’ (participants from >10 countries).
page 1
3
M.J. Branney: Curriculum Vitae
2006 Co-leader of 40th Anniversary VMSG Fieldtrip to Tenerife, January12-19th, 2006.
2007 Convener and co-leader, IAVCEI Commission on Explosive Volcanism workshop, “Density Currents and Topography”,
Tenerife. Will bring together modelers and field volcanologists from >14 countries; March 22-29)
Recent invited keynote talks: 2004 Invited speaker: Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences Workshop,
“Geophysical Granular and Particle-Laden Flows”. Bristol.
2005 Invited Keynote, Penrose Conference, “Neogene continental margin volcanism. Metapec, Mexico, January
2006 Invited Keynote, Joint Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) and The Geological
Society of Korea National Workshop on “Recent Advances in Volcanology”, Daejeon, Korea.
2006 Invited keynote, Universidad Autonomica Mexico: “Understanding giant explosive eruptions, pyroclastic density
currents, ignimbrites and calderas”, Queretaro, Mexico.
2007 Invited Keynote, “Integrating numerical and laboratory models of explosive eruptions with field
observations: understanding pyroclastic transport”, Prescott, Arizona.
Publications: Over 30 refereed publications in international journals, including
Kokelaar P, Raine P, Branney MJ (2007).Incursion of a large-volume, spatter-bearing pyroclastic density current into a
caldera lake: Pavey Ark ignimbrite of Scafell caldera, English Lake District. Bull Volcanol in press
Branney MJ, Bonnichsen B, Andrews GDM, Ellis B, Barry TL, McCurry M (2007) Snake River (SR-type) volcanism on the
Yellowstone hotspot track: distinctive products of unusual high-temperature silicic super-eruptions. In: Leeman B,
McCurry M (eds) ‘Volcanism and petrogenesis of the Snake River – Yellowstone volcanic province’, Bull Volcanol,
special issue. In press
Andrews GDM, Branney MJ, Bonnichsen B, McCurry M (2007) Ignimbrites in the Rogerson Graben, southern Snake River Plain
volcanic province: volcanic stratigraphy, eruption history, and basin evolution. In: Leeman B, McCurry M (eds) ‘Volcanism
and petrogenesis of the Snake River–Yellowstone volcanic province’ Bull Volcanol special issue.
Branney, M.J. (2006) The Borrowdale Volcanic Group and Ordovician continental arc volcanism in northern England. In:
Brenchley P, Rawson PF (eds) The Geology of England and Wales. Geol Soc, London: 113-122
Andrews GDM, Branney MJ (2005) Folds, fabrics, and kinematic criteria in rheomorphic ignimbrites of the Snake River Plain,
Idaho: insights into emplacement and flow. In: Peterson JL, Dehler CM (eds) Interior Western US Geol Soc Amer Field
Guide 6: 311-328
Carrasco-Núñez G, Branney MJ (2005) Progressive assembly of a massive layer of ignimbrite with normal-to-reverse
compositional zoning: the Zaragoza ignimbrite of central Mexico. Bull Volcanol 68: 3-20.
Brown RJ, Branney MJ (2004). Bypassing and diachronous deposition from density currents: evidence from a giant regressive
bedform in the Poris ignimbrite, Tenerife. Geology 32: 445-448.
Branney MJ, Barry TL, Godcheaux, M. (2004) Sheathfolds in rheomorphic ignimbrites. Bull Volcanol 66: 485-491
Brown RJ, Branney MJ, 2004. Event-stratigraphy of a caldera-forming ignimbrite eruption on Tenerife: the 273 ka Poris
Formation. Bull Volcanol 66: 392-416
Brown RJ, Barry T, Branney MJ, Pringle MS, Bryan S (2003) The Quaternary pyroclastic succession of southern Tenerife,
Canary Islands: explosive eruptions, related caldera subsidence and sector collapse. Geol Mag 140:265-288
Branney MJ, Kokelaar BP (2002) Pyroclastic density currents and the sedimentation of ignimbrites. Geol Soc London, Mem 27:
1-152 (refereed research monograph of 7 Chapters; 87,000 words.
Sumner JS, Branney MJ (2002) Emplacement and deformation of a heterogeneous, chemically zoned, rheomorphic and locally
lava-like, peralkaline ignimbrite sheet: TL on Gran Canaria. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 115: 109-138
Branney MJ, Kokelaar BP(1997) Giant bed from a sustained catastrophic density current flowing over topography: Acatlán
Ignimbrite, Mexico. Geology 25: 115-118.
Kneller BC, Branney MJ (1995) Sustained high-density turbidity currents and the deposition of thick massive sands.
Sedimentology, 42, p. 607-616.
Branney MJ (1995). Downsag and extension at calderas: new perspectives on collapse geometries from ice-melt, mining, and
volcanoes. Bulletin of Volcanology 57: 304-318.
Branney MJ, Kokelaar P (1994) Volcanotectonic faulting, soft-state deformation and rheomorphism of tuffs during
development of a piecemeal caldera: English Lake District. Geol Soc Amer Bull 106: 507-530.
Branney, M.J., Kokelaar, B.P., 1992. A reappraisal of ignimbrite emplacement: changes from particulate to non-particulate
flow during progressive aggradation of high-grade ignimbrite. Bulletin of Volcanology 54, p. 504-520.
Branney, M.J., Kokelaar, B.P., McConnell, B.J., 1992. The Bad Step Tuff: a lava-like ignimbrite in a calc-alkaline piecemeal
caldera, English Lake District. Bulletin of Volcanology 54, p. 187-199.
Branney, M.J., 1991. Eruption and depositional facies of the Whorneyside Tuff: an exceptionally large-magnitude
phreatoplinian eruption. Geological Society of America Bulletin 203, p. 886-897.
Some recent conference presentations
Ellis, BS, Branney MJ, Bonnichsen B (2007) A Snake River-type eruption: the Tuff of Wooden Shoe Butte, Idaho.
Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group, Geol Soc London, Oxford.
Andrews GDM, Branney MJ, Bonnichsen B, Ellis, B, Barry TL, McCurry (2006) AGU ‘Snake River-Type volcanism: a
newly identified type of large-scale rhyolitic volcanism characterised by super-eruptions’
Kokelaar P, Branney MJ (2006) Interpretation of pyroclastic density currents from their deposits Keynote
IAVCE/VSMG George Walker Memerorial Symposium Advances in Volcanology, Reykolt, Iceland, June 2006
Branney MJ, Brown RJ (2006). Erosion and bypassing of pyroclastic density currents and their wakes: evidence for
the behaviour of devastating currents at explosive ocean island volcanoes. VMSG AGM 2006
Davila-Harris, P, Branney MJ (2006) Eruption-triggered landslides on ocean island volcanoes: new evidence
page 2
4
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
_____________________________________________________________________________
Barry B. Hanan
Senior Faculty Scientist (Research Professor),
Education
1980 Ph.D., Geological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
1976 M.S., Geological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
1973 B.S., Geology, University of Kansas.
Professional Experience
1991- :
Research Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State
University.
1989-1991:
Associate Research Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State
University.
1982-1989:
Assistant Marine Scientist, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode
Island.
1980-1982:
Post Doctoral Fellow with G.R. Tilton at the University of California, Santa
Barbara.
Recent Seagoing Experience:
2006 R/V Melville, Lau Basin, ridge axis and off axis sampling, Scientist.
2004-5 N/V l’Atalante, PACANTARCTIC 2, Pacific-Antarctic Ridge 53° to 40°S and off axis seamounts
2001 FS SONNE, SO 158 MEGAPRINT, Galapàgos, spreading center/seamounts, Scientist.
Recent Synergistic Activities:
2006 EarthScope Geotraverse meeting, St Louis MO, Febraury 3-5, 2006.
2006 ICDP Workshop on Scientific Drilling in the Snake River, Twin Falls, Idaho, May, 2006.
2007 DOSECC’s Eleventh Continental Scientific Drilling Workshop, June, 2007 Washington, D.C.
2007 IODP Scientific Drilling Workshop, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, July, 2007
2007 INTERIDGE ‘Rift to Ridge’ Workshop, National Oceanography Centr, Southampton, UK, July
Five Publications Related to the Proposed Work
Hanan, B. B., J. Blichert-Toft, R. Kingsley, and J.-G. Schilling, Depleted Iceland mantle plume
geochemical signature: Artifact of multi-component mixing?, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 1,
2000.
Geldmacher, J., B. B. Hanan, J. Blichert-Toft, K. Hoernle, K. Harpp, F. Hauff, R. Werner and A. Kerr,
Hafnium isotopic variations in volcanic rocks from the Caribbean, Large Igneous Province and
Galápagos paleo-hotspot track, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. Vol. 4, No. 7,
doi:10.1029/2002GC000477, 19 July 2003.
Hanan, B. B., J. Blichert-Toft, D. G. Pyle, and Christie, D. M., Contrasting origins of the upper mantle
MORB source as reveled by Hf and Pb isotopes from the Australian-Antarctic Discordance,
Nature 432, 91-94, 2004.
Hanan, B. B., J. W. Shervais, and S. K. Vetter, Yellowstone plume–continental lithosphere interaction
beneath the Snake River Plain, Geology 36, 51-54, 2008.
Camp, V.E. and B. B. Hanan, Plume-induced delamination: a case study of the Columbia River flood
basalts, submitted to Geosphere, 2007.
Five Other Publications
Hanan, B.B. and Graham, D.W., Lead and Helium Isotope Evidence from Oceanic Basalts for a Common
Deep Source of Mantle Plumes, Science 272, 991-995, 1996.
Shervais, John W., Marchell M. Zoglman Schuman, and Barry B. Hanan, The Stonyford Volcanic
______________________________________________________________________________
NSF FORM 1362 (7/95)
6
Complex: A forearc Seamount in the Northern California Coast Ranges, Journal of Petrology, 46,
2091-2128, 2005.
Furman, T., Bryce, J., Hanan, B., Yirgu, G. and Ayalew, D., Heads and Tails 30 Million Years of the Afar
Plume, Geological Society Special Publications, vol.259, pp.95-119, 2006.
Shervais, John W., Vetter, Scott K., Hanan, Barry B., A layered mafic sill complex beneath the eastern
Snake River Plain: Evidence from cyclic geochemical variations in basalt from scientific drill
cores, Geology 34, 365-368, 2006.
Furman, Tanya, Kaleta, Kelly M., Bryce, Julia G., Hanan, Barry B., Tertiary Mafic Lavas of Turkana,
Kenya: Constraints on East African Plume Structure and the Occurrence of High-m Volcanism in
Africa, Journal of Petrology 47, 1221-1244, 2006.
Ph.D. Students Advised
Jasper Konter, UCSD, Ph.D., 2007
Tyrone O. Rooney, Penn State, 2006
Yuji Orihashi Ph.D., Hokaido University, Japan, 1998.
Masters Students Advised -16
Post-Doctoral Associates (last five years):
2007Jasper Konter
2006-2007
Tyrone Rooney
2000-2003
Jorg Geldmacher, GEOMAR, Kiel
Collaboration with other scientists
Jean-Guy Schilling
Mark Reagan
Rosemary Hickey-Vargas
David Graham
Peter Michael
Janne Blichert-Toft
Julie Bryce
Tanya Furman
Hubert Staudigel
Paterno Castillo
David Hilton
Jim Hawkins
John Shervais
Tomomi Kani
Graduate Advisors
G. R. TIlton (post-doctoral)
A. K. Sinha (Ph.D.)
University of Rhode Island
University of Iowa
Florida International University
Oregon State University
University of Tulsa
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon
University of New Hampshire
Penn State University
UCSD
UCSD
UCSD
UCSD
Utah State University
Kumamoto University, Japan
University of California, Santa Barbara
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
______________________________________________________________________________
NSF FORM 1362 (7/95)
7
FRANCOIS HOLTZ
Institut für Mineralogie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstr 3, 30167 Hannover, Germany
Tel. 511-762-5281; Fax 511-762-3045; [email protected]
Education and Professional experiences:
1977-1983: Student in Geologie/Mineralogy at the University of Nancy (France)
1984-1987: PhD student at the CNRS-CRPG, Nancy, France
1987-1991: postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hannover (grant from the EC and DFG)
1991-1996: Research position at the CNRS in Orléans (CRSCM); France
1996-present: Professor (Petrology) at the Leibniz University of Hannover
Recent publications related to the determination of phase relationships at high pressure in
volatile-bearing rhyolitic to basaltic systems and to the modeling of magmatic processes
Holtz F., Pichavant M., Barbey P., Johannes W. (1992) Effects of H2O on liquidus phase relations in the
haplogranitic system at 2 and 5 kbar. American Mineralogist, 77, 1223-1241.
Holtz F., Behrens H., Dingwell D.B., Johannes W. (1995) Water solubility in haplogranitic melts.
Compositional, pressure and temperature dependence. American Mineralogist, 80, 94-108.
Holtz F., Johannes W., Tamic N., Behrens H. (2001) Maximum and minimum water contents of granitic melts: a
reexamination and implications. Lithos 56: 1-14.
Holtz F., Becker A., Freise M., Johannes W. (2001) The water-undersaturated and dry Qz-Ab-Or system
revisited. Experimental results at very low water activities and geological implications. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol.,
141, 347-357.
Tamic N., Behrens H., Holtz F. (2001) The solubility of H 2O and CO2 in rhyolitic melts in equilibrium with a
mixed CO2-H2O fluid phase. Chemical Geology, 174, 333-347
Klimm K., Holtz F., Johannes W., King P.L. (2003) Fractionation of metaluminous A-type granites: an
experimental study of the Wangrah Suite, Lachlan Fold Belt, Australia. Precambrian Research, 124, 527-341
Berndt, J., Koepke, J., Holtz, F. (2005) Influence of H2O and oxygen fugacity on differentiation of MORB at
200 MPa., J. Petrol, 46, 135-167.
Holtz F., Sato H., Lewis J., Behrens H., Nakada S. (2005) Experimental petrology of the 1991-1995 Unzen
Dacite, Japan. Part I: phase relations, phase composition and pre-eruptive conditions. J. Petrol, 46, 319-337.
Sato H., Holtz F., Behrens H., Botcharnikov R., Nakada, S., Goto A. (2005) Experimental petrology of the
1991-1995 Dacite of Unzen volcano, Part II: Cl/OH partitioning between hornblende and melt and its
implications for the origin of oscillatory zoning of hornblende phenocrysts. J. Petrol, 46, 339-354.
Parat F., Holtz F. (2006) Sulfur partition coefficient between apatite and rhyolite: the role of bulk S content.
Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., in press
Almeev R, Holtz F, Koepke J, Haase K, Devey C (2007) Depths of partial crystallization and H2O contents of
MORB inferred from glass compositions: phase equilibria simulations of basalts at the MAR near Ascension
Island (7°-11°S). J. Petrol (in press)
Almeev R., Holtz F., Koepke J., Parat F., Botcharnikov R (2007) The effect of H2O on olivine crystallization in
MORB: Experimental calibration at 200 MPa. American Mineralogist, in press
Botcharnikov, R.E, Holtz, F., Almeev, R.R., Sato, H., and Behrens, H. (2007) Storage conditions and evolution
of andesitic magma prior to the 1991-95 eruption of Unzen volcano: Constraints from natural samples and phase
equiilibria experiments. Journ. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., in press.
Lukkari S., Holtz F. (2007) Phase relations of a F-enriched Peraluminous Granite: An Experimental Study of
the Kymi Topaz Granite Stock, Southern Finland. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., in press.
8
Biographical Sketch
Jörg Erzinger
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
Head of Section 4.2 "Inorganic and Isotope Geochemistry
Telegrafenberg B325, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany
also: Professor of Geochemistry at University of Potsdam, Institute of Earth Sciences
PB 60 15 53, D-14415 Potsdam, Germany
+49 331-288-1420 Tel; +49 331-288-1474 Fax; [email protected]
A. Professional Preparation
University of Karlsruhe
Chemistry and Earth Sciences
University of Karlsruhe
Geochemistry
University of Giessen
Geochemistry (venia legendi)
B. Appointments
1992 - Present
1992 - Present
1988 - 1992
1981 - 1988
1977 – 1981
MS 1978
Doctoral Degree 1981
Habilitation 1988
Professor of Geochemistry and Mineralogy, University of Potsdam
Head of Section 4.2 "Inorganic and Isotope Geochemistry",
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ)
Lecturer of Geochemistry/Petrology, University of Giessen
Research Scientist, Institute of Geosciences, University of Giessen
Assistant Research Chemist, University of Karlsruhe
C. Publications
Recent publications most relevant to this proposal
1) Wiersberg, T., Erzinger, J. (2007): A helium isotope cross-section study through the San
Andreas Fault at seismogenic depths. (in print Geochem., Geophys., Geosyst.)
2) Erzinger, J., Wiersberg, T., Zimmer, M. (2006): Real-time mud gas logging and sampling
during drilling. Geofluids 6, 225-233.
3) Kümpel, H.-J., Erzinger, J., Shapiro, S. A. (2006): Two massive hydraulic tests completed
in deep KTB pilot hole. Scientific Drilling, No. 3, 31-33.
4) Lippmann, J., Erzinger, J., Zimmer, M., Schloemer, S., Eichinger, J. L., Faber, E. (2005):
On the geochemistry of gases and noble gas isotopes in deep crustal fluids. The 4000 m KTBpilot hole fluid production test 2002/03. Geofluids, Special Issue, 5, 52-66.
5) Wiersberg, T., Erzinger, J., Zimmer, M., Schicks, J., Dahms, E. (2005): Real-time gas
analysis at the Mallik 2002 gas hydrate production research well. In: S. R. Dallimore et al
(eds): Scientific Results from the Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well
Program, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. (ed.) S. R. Dallimore and T. S.
Collett; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 585, pp. 15.
6) Erzinger, J., Wiersberg, T., Dahms, E. (2004): Real-time mud gas logging during drilling
of the SAFOD Pilot Hole in Parkfield, CA. J. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31, L13S18,
doi: 10.1029/2003GL019395
7) Bach, W., Naumann, D., Erzinger, J. (1999): A helium, argon and nitrogen record of the
upper continental crust (KTB drill holes, Oberpfalz, Germany): Implications for crustal
degassing. Chemical Geology, 160, 81-101
9
Other recent significant publications
1) Schicks, J. M., Erzinger, J., Ziemann, M. A. (2005) Raman spectra of gas hydrates –
differences and analogies to ice and / gas saturated water. Spectrochimica Acta, Part A, Vol.
61, Issue 10, 2399-2403.
2) Tagle, R., Erzinger, J., Hecht, L., Schmitt, R. T., Stöffler, D., Claeys, P. (2004): Platinum
group elements in impactites of the ICDP Chicxulub drill core Yaxcopoil-1: Are there traces
of the projectile? Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 39, 1009-1016.
3) Rosner, M., Erzinger, J., Franz, G., Trumbull, R. (2003): Slab-derived boron isotope
signatures in arc volcanic rocks from the Central Andes and evidence for boron isotope
fractionation during progressive slab dehydration. Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems.
Vol. 4, No. 8, 9005, doi: 10.1029/2002GC000438.
4) Althaus, T., Niedermann, S., Erzinger, J. (2003): Noble gases in olivine phenocrysts from
drill core samples of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP) pilot and main holes
(Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, Hawaii). Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 4, 1, 1-22.
5) Zimmer, M., Erzinger, J. (2003): Continuous H2O, CO2, 222Rn and temperature
measurements on Merapi Volcano, Indonesia. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal
Research, 125, 1-2, 25-38.
6) Kasemann, S., Erzinger, J., Franz, G. (2000): Boron recycling in the continental crust of the
Central Andes from Palaezoic to Mesozoic, NW Argentina. Contributions to Mineralogy and
Petrology, 140, 328-343.
D. Synergistic Activities
1) Broad teaching experience in geochemistry, analytical chemistry and mineralogy; diploma
and doctoral students supervisor; serving on different university committees, since 1981.
2) Principal Investigator of numerous research grants from DFG (German Science
Foundation), BMBF (German Ministry of Research and Technology), and European Union,
since 1982; frequently acting as reviewer and referee for scientific journals and research
proposals (DFG, BMBF, NSF, EU etc).
3) Petrologist, DSDP Leg 92, “Glomar Challenger“, 1983; Petrologist/Geochemist, German
RV “SONNE“ at Manihiki-Plateau, 1984; Principal Investigator, French/German diving
cruise “NAUTILAU“ in the Lau Basin (SW Pacific), 1989; Chief scientist, ODP Leg 140,
“JOIDES Resolution“, 1991.
4) German Representative JOIDES Lithosphere Panel (ODP), 1988-1992; German
Representative IODP-SSEP for Earth’s interior since 2004; Member of the BMBF-Advisory
and Review Board “Ocean Sciences“, since 1992; Member of Priority Program review panels
of the DFG, since 1997; Secretary General of International Lithosphere Program (ILP), 19952001.
5) Martini-Prize for outstanding research activities in Applied Geochemistry, 1991.
6) Founder Director of the Institute of Earth Sciences at University of Potsdam, 1994-1997;
Vice chairman of the Institute of Earth Sciences at University of Potsdam, 1997-1999.
10
Douglas R. Schmitt
Professor of Geophysics and Physics and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Rock Physics
Director, The Institute for Geophysical Research
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Canada, T6G 2G7
Phone: 1-780-492.3985 [email protected]
Education
1980 B.Sc. (Physics with Distinction) University of Lethbridge
1984 M.Sc. (Geophysics) California Institute of Technology (Advisor, T.J. Ahrens)
1987 Ph.D. (Geophysics) California Institute of Technology (Advisor, T.J. Ahrens)
Experience
2002-present: Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Rock Physics
1998-present Professor University of Alberta
2005 Visiting Scientist, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University
1996-1997 Humboldt Research Fellow, Geophysikalisches Institut, Uni-Kalsruhe
1994-1998 Associate Professor University of Alberta
1989-1994 Assistant Professor of Geophysics University of Alberta
1987-1988 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University (Advisor M.D. Zoback)
1980-1981 Exploration Geophysicist Texaco Canada Resources
Honors and Awards
1999 University of Alberta Faculty of Science Research Award
1996 Humboldt Research Fellow, A. von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn.
1984 -1986 Sir J. Lougheed Awards of Distinction (Alberta Graduate Scholarship)
Recent and Current Contributions to the Scientific Community
National Science and Engineering Research Council, Grant Selection Committee Member (2006-2008)
Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research (1999-present)
Host, Soc. Exploration Geophysicists Development & Production Forum, Edmonton, July, 2007.
Associate Editor SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal (2005-present)
Member, Interim Scientific Measurements Panel for IODP (term 2001-2003), host of 2003 Edmonton Meeting
Recent, Current, and Proposed Relevant Scientific Drilling Projects and Collaborators
ICDP Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Drill Hole, Canada (Milkereit, Dallimore)
ICDP Lake Bosumtwi 2004 Impact Structure Lake Drilling, Ghana (Milkereit, Scholz)
ICDP Outokumpu, Finland 2006 Baltic Shield Drilling (Kukkonnen, Heikkinen)
Geological Survey of Canada, 2006 Flin Flon, Hudson’s Bay Mining, Manitoba (White)
ANDRILL MIS (2006-7) and SMS (2007) Antarctica Drilling (Wilson, Jarrard, Paulsen)
IODP New Jersey Shallow Shelf Drilling (2008)
Proposed scientific drilling projects included as proponent
ICDP Snake River Plain Hotspot Drilling, Idaho (2009)
ICDP Anatolian Fault Drilling, Istanbul, Turkey
Deep Permafrost Drilling Project (Lead Proponent with S. Dallimore)
Redwater CO2 Sequestration Project, Alberta
Refereed Publications Most Relevant to Proposal
1.
2.
3.
Naish, T., R. Powell, R. Levy, S. Henrys, L. Krissek, F. Niessen, M. Pompilio, R. Scherer, G. Wilson, and hte
ANDRILL-MIS Science Team, Synthesis of the initial scientific results of the MIS project (AND-1B Core), Victoria
Land Basin, Antartica, Terra Antartica, 14, proof 12 pp, 2007.
Schmitt, D.R., Z. Han, V. Kravchinsky, and J. Escartin, Seismic and magnetic anisotropy of a serpentinized
ophiolite: Implications for oceanic spreading rate dependent anisotropy, Earth and Planetary Science Letters,
10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.024, 261, 590-601, 2007.
Schmitt, D.R., B. Milkereit, T. Karp, C. Scholz, S. Danuor, D. Meilleux, and M. Welz, In situ seismic
measurements in borehole LB-08A in the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana: Preliminary interpretation,
Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 42, 755-768, 2007.
4.
White, D.J., Hajnal, Z., Gyorfi, I., Takacs, E., Roberts, B., Mueller, C., Schmitt, D.R., Reilkoff, B., Jefferson, C.W.,
Koch, R., Powell, B., Annesley, I.R., and Brisbin, D., Seismic methods for uranium exploration: an overview of
EXTECH IV seismic studies at the McArthur River mining camp, Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan ;in EXTECH IV:
Geology and Uranium EXploration TECHnology of the Proterozoic Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan and Alberta,
(ed.) C.W. Jefferson and G. Delaney; Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 588, 2005.
5. Schmitt, D.R., M. Welz, and C.D. Rokosh, High Resolution Seismic Imaging Over Thick Permafrost at the 2002
Mallik Scientific Wellbore Site, in ‘Scientific Results from the Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well
Program, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada, (eds) S.R. Dallimore and T.S. Collett, Geol. Surv.,
Bulletin 585, 13 p. (DVD), 2005.
6. Milkereit, B., E. Adam, Z. Li, W. Qian, T. Bohlen, D. Banerjee, D.R. Schmitt, The Mallik Multi-Offset VSP- An
Experiment to Assess Petrophysical Scale Parameters at the JAPEX/JNOC/GSC et al. Maillik 5L-38 gas hydrate
production research well, ibid., 13 p.,(DVD), 2005.
7. Schmitt, D.R., J. Mwenifumbo, K. A. Pflug, and I.L. Meglis, Geophysical logging for elastic properties in hard
rock: a tutorial, , in: Hardrock Seismic Exploration (edited by D.W. Eaton, B. Milkereit, and M.H. Salisbury), SEG
Geophysical Developments 10, 20-41, 2003.
8. Perron, G., Eaton, D.W., Elliot, B., and D.R. Schmitt, Application of downhole seismic imaging to near-vertical
structures: Normetal (Abitibi-Greenstone Belt), Quebec, 194-206, , ibid, 2003.
9. Li, Y.Y., and D.R. Schmitt, Drilling induced core fractures and in situ stress, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 5225-5239,
1998.
10. Huber, K., K. Fuchs, J. Palmer, F. Roth, B.N. Khakhaev, L. van Kin, L.A. Pezner, S. Hickman, D. Moos, M.D.
Zoback, and D.R. Schmitt, Analysis of borehole televiewer measurements in the Vorotilov Drillhole, Russia -First
results, Tectonophysics, 275, 261-272, 1997.
11. Kebaili, A. and D.R. Schmitt, Velocity anisotropy observed in wellbore seismic arrivals:
combined effects of intrinsic properties and layering?, Geophysics, 61, 12-20, 1996.
Additional Recent Representative Publications
12. Ahmad, J., D.R. Schmitt, C.D. Rokosh, and J.G. Pawlowicz, High resolution seismic and resistivity profiling of a
buried Quaternary subglacial channel containing near-surface methane: northern Alberta, Canada, submitted GSA
Bull., August 5, 2007 (in revision)
13. Wong, R.C.K., D.R. Schmitt, D. Collis, and R. Gautam, Inherent transversely isotropic elastic parameters of overconsolidated shale measured by ultrasonic waves and their comparison with static and acoustic in situ log
measurements, J. Geophys. Eng., Accepted January, 4, 2008,
14. Cholach, P.Y. and D.R. Schmitt, Intrinsic elasticity of a textured phyllosilicate aggregate: relation to the seismic
anisotropy of shales and schists, J. Geophys. Res., 111, B09410, doi:10.1029/2005JB004158, 18 pp., 2006.
15. Schmitt, D.R., M.S. Diallo, and F. Weichman, Quantitative determination of stress by inversion of speckle
interferometer fringe patterns: experimental tests, Geophys. J. Int., 167, 1425-1438, 2006.
16. Faulkner, S.G., W.M. Tonn, M. Welz, and D.R. Schmitt, Effects of explosives on incubating eggs of lake trout in the
Canadian Arctic, North. Amer. J. Fisheries Management, 26, 833-842, 2006.
17. Bouzidi, Y. and D.R. Schmitt, A large ultrasonic bounded acoustic pulse transducer for transmission goniometry:
Modelling and calibration, J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 119, 54-64, 2006.
Contributions to Training of Highly Qualified Personnel
Current: PDF (Aqil – Dielectric Constants), 3 Ph.D. (Bakhorji – carbonate rock physics, Ortiz – seismic attention,
Hassan – TBD), 4 M.Sc. (Bianco – time lapse heavy oil monitoring, Schjins – Outokumpu VSP and seismic anisotropy,
Meillieux – Bosumtwi VSP and rock physics, Heinone – Outokumpu high resolution surface seismic), and 2 technical
staff (Tober, Doerksen)
Completed: Research Associates: 2, PDF - 7, Ph.D. – 8, M.Sc. – 19 almost all remaining in the Geosciences in Canada
and in industrial research laboratories in Norway, Texas, and Saudi Arabia.
Current Funding: Approximately $300,000 (NSERC, Alberta Research Council, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan,
ANDRILL NSF (Subgrant-Ohio State), Department of Homeland Security (Subgrant-U of Mississippi))
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Project Hotspot: Snake River Continental Drilling Initiative: Appendices
Appendix 1. Detailed Budget Analysis
A. Drilling Budget
The drilling budget has been prepared by Dennis Neilson, President of DOSECC, in accordance with the
depth specifications and stratigraphic estimates provided by the science team. The drilling plan calls for two
deep holes in the central SRP and one shallow hole in the western SRP. The two deep holes in the central SRP
comprise an offset pair, with one hole sited to recover the upper part of the section and the second hole
sited to recover the lower portion of the section. This will allow us to recover a complete section through
the volcanics – something that has never been accomplished in any of the existing holes – at far less cost
per meter than a single deep hole. It will also allow us to site each hole for optimal recovery of section: the
maximum thickness of basalt is found along the axis of the plain, but sites here are likely to coincide with
sections of thick intra-caldera fill that we need to avoid in our rhyolite hole. The shallow western hole will be
sited to recover the upper portion of the Mountain Home section not cored by the Mountain Home AFB
hole. These holes are described in more detail below. Our understanding is that DOSECC plans to purchase
a new drill rig with a total depth capability of 2400 m using PQ, HQ and NQ core (Nielson, personal
communication). This will allow us to reach our projected depth targets (1.5 to 1.6 km) with the capacity to
penetrate deeper if needed.
(1) Hotspot Hole #1 Minidoka (basalt). This hole will be located a few km north or northeast of Minidoka
along the axial volcanic high of the central SRP (figure 2). Potential field, resistivity, and well data have been
used to infer a basalt thickness of 1.2 km to 1.5 km in this area (Lindholm, 1996), which lies ~25 west of the
Great Rift (Fig. 3). The hole will spud into late Pleistocene basalts around 200 ka in age and should end in
rhyolite around 1.4 km depth. We plan to continue drilling ~200-300 m into the rhyolite to allow correlation
with Hotspot Hole 2. Anticipated total depth for this hole is 1.5 km.
This hole will be drilled in three stages: 10-150 m with PQ, 150-1200 m with HQ, and 1200-1500 m with
NQ. Casing will be cemented in the upper 150 m, and HQ drill string will be used as casing below 1200 m while
drilling with NQ. The costs for this hole include $242,000 for equipment and mobilization, $698,410 for drilling
operations, and $12,000 for demobilization (see attached budget sheets).
(2) Hotspot Hole #2 Twin Falls (rhyolite). This hole will be located northeast of Twin Falls along the southern
margin of the central SRP (figure 2). Potential field, resistivity, and well data have been used to infer a basalt
thickness of 30 m to 150 m in this area (Lindholm, 1996), which is confirmed by exposures in the Snake River
Canyon at Twin Falls. The location of this hole is based on our goal of penetrating a complete section of
proximal rhyolite outflow sheets from the eruptive complex and sampling the underlying basement –
which may include pre-rhyolite basalt, based on our model for the hotspot volcanic progression. Hotspot
Hole #2 will be situated to penetrate a thin cover of basalt and sediment, underlain by proximal rhyolite
outflow sheets of finite thickness. These may be underlain by pre-rhyolite basalt which will be crucial to
understanding the Hotspot magmatic system, and have never been sampled before (these basalts do not
occur outside the margins of the plain). Anticipated total depth for this hole is 1.6 km.
This hole also will be drilled in three stages: 10-150 m with PQ, 150-1200 m with HQ, and 1200-1800 m
with NQ. Casing will be cemented in the upper 150 m, and HQ drill string will be used as casing below 1200 m
while drilling with NQ. The costs for this hole include $205,000 for equipment and mobilization, $851,000 for
drilling operations, and $12,000 for demobilization (see attached budget sheets).
1
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
(3) Hotspot Hole #3 Upper MH (basalt, sediment). This hole will be located south of Mountain Home, near
Mountain Home Air Force Base. The target for this hole is to sample the upper part of the section
penetrated by the Mountain Home AFB drill hole, which was rotary drilled to ~330 m, and recover a
complete section of the upper plateau-forming basalts and the underlying lacustrine sediments. The upper
basalts formed after a prolonged volcanic hiatus of 3-5 million years; comparing these with the older
sublacustrine basalts will be central to our understanding of long-term hotspot volcanism. The lacustrine
sediments provide a record of climate change during the late Pliocene to Pleistocene, and contain fossil
fauna that may record the impact of major cataclysmic volcanic eruptions on faunal diversity and
evolution. The anticipated total depth for this hole is 700 m. This hole will be drilled in two stages: 0-10 m
with PQ, then 10-700 m with HQ. Casing will be cemented in the upper 10 m. The costs for this hole include
$97,430 for equipment and mobilization, $307,770 for drilling operations, and $12,000 for demobilization (see
attached budget sheets).
B. Logging Budget
The budget for wireline logging was prepared by Jochem Kück of the Operational Support Group.
These estimates are listed in the attached budget pages ($60,000 per hole for the deep holes, $47,000 for the
shallow hole). This will include dual lateral log resistivity (DLL), spectrum of natural gamma ray (U/Th/K)
(SGR) and total natural GR, magnetic susceptibility (MS), acoustic televiewer (FAC40), oriented 4-arm
dipmeter (DIP), and borehole sonic (BS). Logging of the deep holes will be done in two stages: before casing
the upper portion of each deep hole, and after final completion depth is reached. We have based our
estimate of travel and per diem costs on a logging crew of 3 people, with per diem of $100/day (including
lodging) and $1500 roundtrip airfare each. Each trip will cost ~$6000 in travel and per diem, for a total of
$12,000 for each deep hole and $6000 for the shallow hole (#3). We estimate shipping costs for the sondes at
$5000 per year (two roundtrips each year).
Costs for obtaining vertical seismic profiles (VSP) for each hole are estimated by Doug Schmitt at
~$30,000 per hole. The VSP team will consist of Schmitt, a technician, and 2 graduate students; we estimate 2
weeks in field for Schmitt & graduate students (to assist with logging); technician to follow to be on site 2
days prior to VSP experiment. The VSP team will need ~48 hours rig time allotment. U of A (+others) work in
rotating 8 hours shifts. Anticipate VSP experiment at completion of drilling and after logging of NQ. (open
hole in NQ and HQ drill string temporary casing in HQ (this will depend on conditions and may be
preferable to carry out in two stages (VSP in NQ below HQ shoe, pull NQ, complete VSP in HQ). Dave
Blackwell of SMU estimates it will cost ~$15,000 to run thermal logs on each deep hole, and ~$10,000 for the
shallow hole. These will need to be run after holes equilibrate thermally but before they are sealed and
completed.
The equipment for real-time gas monitoring will be provided by GFZ Potsdam. We will also try to get
funding for salary for one scientist for the field experiment and later data evaluation and interpretation.
Estimated costs not covered by GFZ include on-site or near-site accommodation for one person, shipping
of the equipment (~$5000) and airfare for two round-trips (~$1500 per each). Furthermore, half-size of a
converted 20ft sea-container or comparable space in trailer, including air condition and power supply, is
needed to set-up and run the equipment. We may share a trailer or container with other groups on site
(preferable with the mud logging company), but not with scientific groups that will perform wet chemistry,
sample cleaning etc. Due to possible power break-offs and –peaks, power supply for the trailer should be
independent from rig power, however, use of UPS is possible.
2
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
C. Science Crew – On-site
The on-site science crew will consist of two shifts, each with 2 professionals and 4 student employees.
Professional staff will be on salary or will be paid from the science budget; student employees will be paid $10
per hour for 12 hour shifts, plus $30 per diem; benefits are 8% for wages. Staff will share rooms with alternate
shift personnel, and only overlap at the drill site during shift changes. We estimate $75 per room for 8 rooms
to accommodate the professionals and visitors. We will lease two crew vehicles so that there is always one
vehicle on the drill site and one in town. Travel to and from the site by professionals or by co-investigators is
estimated at $20,000 for deep hole years and $12,000 for shallow hole year. This takes into account extra
costs for non-US participants to travel to the US, as well as costs for alternating site geologists during drilling.
D. Core Logging Facility – Utah State University
A central core logging facility will be set-up at Utah State University to accommodate the breaks
between each drilling site and to facilitate core processing as the drill site moves locations. This will provide a
secure location for the multi-scanner and digital imaging scanner, and allow the PI’s to oversee core
handling, sample selection and processing, and detailed logging of the core using digital images and the
Corewall suite of tools. It will contain rock saws, a mini-jaw crusher, and a drill-press with diamond core
attachment for paleomag samples, in addition to the multi-scanner, digital image scanner, digital cameras,
and computers for detailed logging. USU is less than 3 hours drive from the potential drill sites, so core can
be transported to the core facility in Logan as often as needed to maintain the work flow.
We estimate rent on this space at $12,000 per year ($1000 per month). We will staff the facility with 3
student workers, assuming $10 per hour for 8 hour days per week. We assume they will be needed for the
duration of the drilling operations, plus an additional 2 months to complete processing the final cores (six
months Hole #1, seven months Hole #2, and three months Hole #3). We will also need funds for shipping the
multi-scanner and digital image scanner from GFZ to USU and back ($5000 each way), funds for some of the
equipment ($6000 total) and funds for materials and supplies ($3000 to $6000 per year).
E. Paleo Lake Idaho Sediments
Our strategy is to separate initial core description, which is an essential part of any drilling campaign,
and the subsequent scientific analysis of the cores, which will be funded separately from independent
science-based proposals. As a base for our initial core description we will use LacCore facility at the University
of Minnesota. This facility is specifically dedicated to lake sediment core curation, storage and initial
description/processing. After core opening, description and initial sampling, both archive and working
halves of the HOTSPOT Site 3 sediments (Lake Idaho continuous Plio-Pleistocene sediment section) will be
stored at LacCore and made available to future sampling and research by the PI is of the current proposal
and/or outside parties. Core storage and curation is covered by LacCore and comes at no extra cost to this
project.
After the completion of whole-core logging, core splitting and description proceeds upon arrival of a
science crew. The projected average rate of this work is 15 m per day. Based on our prior experience with
opening and description of series of lake drill cores, the most beneficial plan is to split the estimated time
needed for initial core description of 600-m record into four terms/visits 2-3 weeks long. Hence funds for
four US domestic round-trip flights are budgeted in addition to lodging at a University of Minnesota
guesthouse rates. Sample preparation for diatom analysis (mounted microslides) and for scanning electron
microscope imaging of diatoms for preliminary biostratigraphic analysis will proceed in parallel with core
opening and description.
3
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
F. Technical Workshop – Year 2008
We request funds for a Technical Workshop, to be held in summer or early fall of year 2008. This
workshop will bring together the principal investigators and select co-investigators with the drilling
operations personnel from DOSECC, public land supervisors from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
and personnel from the Idaho Department of Water Resources. This workshop will focus on matching the
science goals of site selection with the realities of drilling and public land access. We cannot begin our permitting
process with BLM until this workshop occurs. After we begin the permitting process, the BLM district manager,
Bill Baker, estimates it will take 6 months to process the permits. We estimate that the science team and
DOSECC personnel will total around 12 people, plus BLM personnel. We estimate it will cost ~$1200 per
person on average for travel, per diem, motels, and vehicles, for a total of $14,400 for the workshop.
G. Consultant – Permitting Process
In order to facilitate the permitting process with BLM and the Idaho Department of Water Resources
(who must permit all wells drilled within the state), we plan to hire a consultant with experience in drilling
projects in Idaho. This consultant will be familiar with the permitting process and carry out the detailed
paperwork required. We are budgeting $50 per hour for 120 hours for 2008-2009, 80 hours in 2010, and 60
hours for 2011 ($17,000 total). This is a modest investment to make to insure that the process is smooth
and timely; any unexpended funds can be used for other expenses or returned to ICDP.
H. Site Remediation
Site remediation can be a major expense if not planned or budgeted. Our goal is to select specific sites
that require little or no remediation (e.g., abandoned cinder quarry) that may be located where we can
achieve our scientific goals. Nonetheless, prudence dictates that we budget sufficient funds for site
remediation to meet reasonable contingencies. We request $24,000 for the two deep hole sites and $12,000
for the shallow hole near Mountain Home. Unexpended funds can be used to cover unexpected expenses
in the drilling budget or returned to the agency.
Appendix 2. Management, Permitting, Environmental Impact, Safety Review
A. Management Plan
This work will be organized and carried out by a consortium of universities and government agencies.
Shervais will be the overall Project Director/Principal Investigator, and have responsibility to coordinate
decisions with the other PI’s. Our organizational structure relies on a central core of group leaders for each
major area (Table 1 of proposal), including PI’s and co-investigators, who will manage studies and sampling
within their area, and who will meet to resolve disputes between groups concerning sampling protocol or
other issues. Most of the PI’s and their co-investigators have expertise in working with drill core from the
Snake River Plain, the Savannah River National Laboratory, ODP-IODP, or lake drilling (Baikal-Qinghai-Great
Salt Lake), so we are well equipped for the challenge of this project. In particular, Shervais was PI on a
multiyear DOE-funded study of legacy core from the Savannah River National Laboratory (Dennis et al
2004) and has carried out studies of existing core from the Snake River Plain (Shervais et al 2002, 2006; Hanan
et al, 2008). Several of the PI’s have extensive experience managing large budgets, science personnel, and
support staff, and all of the principal and co-investigators have extensive research experience and
publication records in their areas of expertise. All are from countries that are either members of ICDP or are
considering membership.
4
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
We anticipate that basic science studies (basalt and rhyolite geochemistry, isotope geochemistry,
radiometric dating of volcanic rocks and sediments, magnetostratigraphy, core logging and
documentation, bore hole logging) will be funded under an umbrella grant from the National Science
Foundation or in the case of borehole studies, by ICDP; we anticipate that additional projects using core will
be funded through separate science proposals to national science funding agencies in the PI’s home
country. Projects funded under the NSF umbrella grant will be configured as subcontracts to one of the
two US-based PIs (Shervais, Hanan) in order to ensure that the work gets done as stipulated on each aspect
of the science. The non-US PI’s will have their own funding model that is not dependent on NSF.
A Chief Scientist will be designated for each hole who will be responsible for the on-site management of
the drilling and making daily decisions. The Chief Scientist will be the interface between the science team and
the drill team, make daily decisions about the conduct of drilling activities, and manage activities of the onsite science team. The Chief Scientist will vary on each hole depending what the target is and when the hole
is drilled. At this time, Lisa Morgan (USGS) has agreed to act be Chief Scientist on Hole #2 (rhyolite, Twin Falls)
and Alexander Prokopenko will act as Chief Scientist on Hole #3 (basalt-sediment, Mtn Home). The Chief
Scientist on Hole #1 (basalt, Minidoka) will be either Dennis Geist, Barry Hanan, or Scott Hughes, depending on
availability at the time the hole is drilled.
Shervais will oversee the Core Logging Facility at USU and be responsible for the distribution of samples
to the participating scientists. In doing so he will follow the protocol established before drilling begins as to
who will be responsible for which aspects of analysis on a given sample suite. This will ensure that the initial
core characterization is carried out thoroughly, and is coordinated among the different discipline-based
projects. As the paleomagnetic and geochemical stratigraphy emerges, he will coordinate the selection of
samples for radiometric dating (Ar-Ar) to ensure that we achieve maximum return for each date. Hanan
and Snyder will be responsible for ensuring that a database system is established so that all data produced
from the project, including core logs, chemical and isotopic analyses, magnetic polarity data, and age data,
are promptly upload into a secure online database that is only available to the PI’s and co-I’s throughout
the embargo period. These data should be essentially complete before the sample party for each hole.
Finally, the PI group will organize a workshop for project participants at least once each year in
conjunction with a major professional meeting (for example, Fall AGU in San Francisco). This will allow the
science teams to compare notes, determine whether adjustments need to be made in the science plan, and
plan future science activities and publications.
B. Permitting
Large portions of the SRP are owned by the federal government and administered by the Bureau of
Land Management, an agency of the Department of the Interior. BLM managers are supportive of research
efforts on public land and few problems are anticipated. Private land is also potentially available for research
at relatively low cost. Shervais has discussed this project with the BLM district manager in Twin Falls and will
be meeting with BLM personnel in Spring of 2008 to continue discussions of the permitting process, and to
assemble a list of requirements for each site. This will lead directly to our planned Technical Workshop in
Summer 2008, where specific sites will be identified in conjunction with drilling and BLM personnel. The
permitting process takes approximately six months, so if we begin in Summer 2008 we should all permits in
place in for drilling to begin in Spring 2009. This process will be facilitated by the consultant, who will handle
the paper work and deal directly with BLM and the Idaho Department of Water Resources.
5
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
C. Environmental Impact Review
BLM prepares or documents environmental analysis for a wide variety of proposed management
activities in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The type of environmental
document prepared is determined generally by the scope, complexity and anticipated effects of the
proposed action. Environmental Assessments (EA) are prepared when a project is not expected to have
significant environmental effects. EAs identify any potential negative effects of the proposal and determine
if they can be mitigated effectively. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are prepared for projects that
are expected to result in significant impacts to the human environment. An EIS is also prepared when an EA
determines that a proposed project may have significant impacts that cannot be mitigated effectively (e.g.,
open pit mining operations). We anticipate that our drilling project will require only an Environmental
Assessment.
The environmental impact review will be carried out as part of the permitting process with BLM under
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. This will
include disturbances to vegetation and avoiding Native American cultural heritage sites. This process will be
relatively straightforward as there are dozens of wells on public land in southern Idaho, and minimal
vegetation. If sites are chosen wisely in areas that have already been disturbed, the environmental impact
will be minimal and we will only need an Environmental Assessment.
D. Safety Review
A formal safety review will be carried out as part of the Technical Workshop. We do not anticipate any
safety issues because other deep holes have been drilled within the SRP and none have encountered any
problems. Over 140 oil and gas exploration wells have been drilled over the last 70 years, up to 4300 m deep,
and none of these wells has encountered hydrocarbon deposits. Thousands of wells have penetrated the
Snake River aquifer with no ill effects. All three sites are located near small to mid-sized towns with hospital
and emergency facilities, as well as complete logistical support for the drilling operation. We will develop a
site emergency plan as part of our technical workshop and all personnel will be trained in safety issues prior
to starting work on site.
E. Drilling, Testing, Logging Schedule
Drilling will be carried out by US Continental Drilling Program (DOSECC) using equipment owned and
operated by DOSECC. DOSECC anticipates purchasing a new drill rig with 2400 m depth capacity using PQ,
HQ and NQ core (Nielson, attached letter). This will allow us to reach our projected depth targets (1.5 to 1.6
km) with the capacity to penetrate deeper if needed. DOSECC will be responsible for all drilling related
activities including site preparation and cleanup, mobilization, and demobilization. Logging will occur at
intervals agreed upon by the science team and DOSECC in advance. Responsibility for core handling will be
transferred to the science team at the rig, after the core is removed from the core barrel. The holes will all
have an initial section of PQ-size that will be cased to comply with Idaho Department of Water Resources
regulations on well development. Subsequent core will be HQ down to around 1200 m; the HQ rod will be
left in the hole as casing and the lower part of the hole will be cored in NQ size to depth, through the HQ
rod. Final depths for the deep holes will be 1.5-1.6 km; final depth for the shallow hole will be 700 m.
The on-site science crew will consist of two shifts, each with 2 professionals and 4 student employees.
We will lease two crew vehicles so that there is always one vehicle on the drill site and one in town. We will
have an office trailer and a core storage area (shipping container) on site with a concrete pad for washing
and drying the core. Our plan is to follow the HSDP protocol for core as it comes out of the tube. Before the
core handlers take possession of the core, a member of the bio-geology team will collect samples of drilling
6
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
mud, fluids, and small glassy fragments, if present, and place in sterile containers for shipment to Oregon
State University (see Appendix: Protocol for Biologic Sampling). The core will then be washed and dried by
the core handlers, and carefully assembled in the core tray (half-round PVC pipe with drain holes) into its
original configuration, taking care to keep tops properly oriented. The core will be measured for recovery,
marked with double lines (Red on Right) to indicate orientation, marked with footage, and digitally
photographed to document its configuration before boxing. After the core is boxed and marked, the box
will be digitally photographed. The photos will be imported into a database and a brief description of the
core entered, noting any unusual features, flow boundaries, etc. The boxed core will then be stacked for
shipment to the core logging facility at Utah State University.
A central core logging facility will be set-up at Utah State University to accommodate the breaks
between each drilling site and to facilitate core processing as the drill site moves locations. This will provide a
secure location for the multi-scanner and digital imaging scanner, and allow the PI’s to oversee core
handling, sample selection and processing, and detailed logging of the core using digital images and the
Corewall suite of tools. It will contain rock saws, a mini-jaw crusher, and a drill-press with diamond core
attachment for paleomag samples, in addition to the multi-scanner, digital image scanner, digital cameras,
and computers for detailed logging. USU is less than 3 hours drive from the potential drill sites, so core can
be transported to the core facility in Logan as often as needed to maintain the work flow.
After the core is shipped to the core logging facility at USU, it will be run through the multiscanner and
whole core image scanner, split into archival and active portions, and the surface of the active portion will
be digitally imaged and imported into Corewall. Logging crew will use the Corewall suite to create detailed
logs of the cores with both the core and image in front of them. A portion of each basalt flow and each
rhyolite flow will be sampled for geochemistry; each geochem sample will be crushed and powdered, and
representative splits will be selected from each sample for distribution to the principal and co-investigators
for analysis, according to their interest and expertise. Paleomag cores will be taken every meter from fresh
basalt and rhyolite using a drill press with diamond core bit, and sent to UC Davis for polarity determination.
As we begin to build our geochemical and magnetic stratigraphy, strategic samples will be selected for Ar-Ar
dating. Data from this phase of study will be posted to a secure website as it is produced, to which only
project participants have access. Core will be held at USU until logging is complete, then shipped to
permanent storage. Within two months of completion a sampling party will be held for participating
scientists to select their own samples for additional analyses, using the initial core characterization suite as a
guide.
Sediment core from the Mtn Home site will be handled differently from the other core. Because it is
thought to consist entirely of Pliocene-Pleistocene lake sediments below 200 m depth, this core will be drilled
with plastic core liners and sent directly to the LaCore facility at the University of Minnesota for processing.
As a part of the initial core description we plan (1) multi-sensor continuous whole-core logging; (2) core
opening and splitting longwise for initial core description and high-resolution imaging; (3) smear slide
observations of lithology; (4) preliminary diatom biostratigraphy on 200 samples, i.e., ca. 1 sample per 3 m
involving scanning electron microscope imaging of diatoms. This latter part is listed as a part of initial core
description, because it is essential to gain understanding of the preliminary age model and hence
sedimentation rates and to gain better understanding of the depositional setting at the drill site.
Intact clearly labeled lake sediment cores in capped and taped standard GLAD butyrate liner will be
shipped to the LacCore facility at the University of Minnesota. As soon as the cores arrive at LacCore
facility, the LacCore team begins whole-core multi-sensor logging; this work will be complete prior to arrival
of a science crew. The estimated rate of multi-sensor logging at 1-cm sample resolution is 20 m per day.
7
HOTSPOT: The Snake River Scientific Drilling Project
Because of LacCore commitment to lake sediment research, core archiving and curation, this important
part of work comes at no extra cost to the project. The only LACCORE budgeted items for initial core
description are supplies and core shipping costs.
Staff of LacCore facility at the University of Minnesota has all the necessary capabilities (equipment,
storage space, etc.) to complete this project; their most recent similar projects were processing 623m of
sediment cores from Lake Malawi and 1328 m of sediment cores from Lake Peten Itza. Co-PI Dr. A.
Prokopenko has extensive experience in leading and conducting initial core opening and description
campaigns, having served as the co-Chief Scientist during opening/description of BDP-98 drill core from
Lake Baikal (650 m), as a Chief Scientist during opening/description of BDP-99 drill core from Lake Baikal (350
m); HDP-04 and HDP-06 drill cores from Lake Hovsgol (120 m). Dr. A. Prokopenko has visited and worked at
LacCore facility in 2007, having built the strong collaborative relationship with the LRC staff. Under his
leadership, preliminary diatom biostratigraphic studies of the BDP-99 and HDP-04 cores were conducted as
part of the initial core description; they proved essential for establishing initial age models and lacustrine
depositional settings in Baikal and Hovsgol rift basins.
Wireline logging will be carried out by the Operational Support Group (OSG). The wireline logging will
include dual lateral log resistivity (DLL), spectrum of natural gamma ray (U/Th/K) (SGR) and total natural
GR, magnetic susceptibility (MS), acoustic televiewer (FAC40), oriented 4-arm dipmeter (DIP), and borehole
sonic (BS). Logging of the deep holes will be done in two stages: before casing the upper portion of each
deep hole (0-1200 m), and after final completion depth is reached (1200 m to total depth). This
corresponds to the depths at which the rig will change from HQ to NQ, so that the hole may be logged
uncased. We have budgeted for the OSG crew to make two trips for each deep hole.
The VSP team will consist of Schmitt, a technician, and 2 graduate students; we estimate 2 weeks in field
for Schmitt & graduate students (to assist with logging); technician to follow to be on site 2 days prior to
VSP experiment. The VSP team will need ~48 hours rig time allotment. U of A (+others) work in rotating 8
hours shifts. The VSP experiment will be carried out at completion of drilling and after logging of NQ: open
hole in NQ and HQ drill string temporary casing in HQ – this will depend on conditions and may be
preferable to carry out in two stages (VSP in NQ below HQ shoe, pull NQ, complete VSP in HQ). Dave
Blackwell of SMU will run thermal logs on each hole. These will need to be run after holes equilibrate
thermally but before they are sealed and completed.
8
Project Hotspot -- Operational Budget
Drilling Budget -- DOSECC
#Days on site
Hole #1 Minidoka (basalt)
Hole #2 Twin Falls (rhyolite)
Hole #3 Mtn Home Upper
2008
0
Loggiing - Real Time Gas
Travel & per diem
Shipping
Logging -- Other Expenses
Travel & per diem (3 people,
$100/day, $1500/trip air)
Shipping - equipment
Thermal logs ($1200/day, 4
days/hole)
Vertical Seismic Profiles
Science Crew Operations Budget
Per Diem $30/day * 12 personnel
Lodging $75/day 8 rooms
Van lease for crews (2 vans)
Travel to/from site [PI's and other
investigators, includes air]
Salaries (student workers) [$10/hour,
12 hour shifts]
Benefits (8.3% on wages)
Shipping core, equipment
Core Logging Facility USU
Building space (12 months/year)
Staff [3 students] [$10/hr, 8 hr
shifts, +2 months]
Benefits (8.3% wages)
Shipping for Multiscanner, digital
imager
Equipment (saw, digital camera,
chipmunk, core racks)
Materials and supplies
Lake Core Logging
LacCore core description/handling
Diatom biostrat review
Total Operational Budget
Wages
Benefits
Travel
Materials supplies
Other
Consultants
Totals
2010
140
$1,602,876
Logging -- Operational Support Group (GFZ)
Hole #1 Minidoka (basalt)
Hole #2 Twin Falls (rhyolite)
Hole #3 Mtn Home Upper
Technical Workshop
Travel, per diem, motel*12
Consultant - Permitting etc
Site Remediation
2009
120
$1,370,139
$60,283
$60,283
2011
25
DOSECC Totals
$1,370,139
$1,602,876
$599,725
$599,725
OSG Totals
$60,283
$60,283
$46,994
$46,994
$5,100
$5,000
$5,700
$5,000
$10,800
$10,000
$12,000
$12,000
$6,000
$30,000
$5,000
$15,000
$5,000
$15,000
$2,500
$10,000
$12,500
$40,000
$30,705
$30,705
$30,705
$92,115
$43,200
$72,000
$3,600
$20,000
$50,400
$84,000
$3,600
$20,000
$9,000
$15,000
$3,600
$12,000
$102,600
$171,000
$10,800
$52,000
$115,200
$134,400
$24,000
$273,600
$9,562
$8,000
$11,155
$8,000
$1,992
$3,000
$22,709
$19,000
$12,000
$43,200
$12,000
$48,000
$12,000
$20,400
$36,000
$111,600
$3,586
$5,000
$3,984
$1,693
$5,000
$10,000
$6,000
$1,200
$14,400
$6,000
Year 2008
$20,400
$0
$0
$14,400
$0
$0
$6,000
$20,400
$6,000
$1,200
$1,200
$3,600
$17,696
$16,060
$17,696
$16,060
$6,000
$24,000
$4,000
$24,000
$3,000
$12,000
$13,000
$60,000
Year 2009
$1,875,774
Year 2010
$2,141,303
Year 2011
$853,565
All Years
$4,891,043
$158,400
$13,147
$147,200
$7,200
$103,305
$6,000
$435,252
$182,400
$15,139
$166,400
$1,200
$98,305
$4,000
$467,444
$44,400
$3,685
$42,000
$1,200
$112,561
$3,000
$206,846
$385,200
$31,972
$370,000
$9,600
$314,171
$19,000
$1,129,943
Dennis L. Nielson, President
P.O. Box 58857
Salt Lake City, Utah 84158-0857
(801) 585-6855
FAX (801) 585-9386
[email protected]
January 11, 2008
Dr. John Shervais
Department of Geology
Utah State University
4505 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-4505
Dear John:
Attached are cost estimates for coring three holes as part of the Snake River Plain
Scientific Drilling Project. The methodology for drilling these holes has been supplied
separately for inclusion in the proposal. I have based the drilling costs on using
DOSECC rigs. These rigs have not yet been purchased, but DOSECC’s Board has
approved their acquisition, and the vendor has scheduled their delivery for this year.
Commercial rigs could do this drilling, but their cost structure is higher than I have
quoted. In addition, due to activity in the mining industry, core rigs are presently in
demand and your drilling will need to be scheduled in advance and have some amount of
flexibility. Also, costs have been volatile and contingencies have been added to the
budget estimates in an attempt to mitigate this risk.
As I have stated in the discussion of methodology, the costs may change depending on
the specific site selected and permitting requirements. Both of these issues are
unresolved at the present time.
Please contact me if you require additional information.
Sincerely,
Dennis L. Nielson
President
19
CS4002 Cost Estimate
Principal Investigator:
Project Name:
Minidoka Site
790-000
790-050
600
600-350
600-355
600-660
600-700
300
790-100
790-110
800-002
Item
Project Preparation
Site Visit
Equipment preparation
Site Preparation
Equipment
Casing
6-5/8"
HWT
NQ Core Rods
Casing accessories
Drill bits & Shells
Safety equipment
Spare parts
Core Boxes
Mud
Water
Cement
John Shervais
Snake River Plain
Sample Depth: 1500 m
Units
1 $ 10,000.00
1 $ 20,000.00
30
500
3000
1
10
1
1
550
5000
1
500
Mobilization
Trucking
Crew transportation
Total Mob & Equipment
Drilling Operations
Unload & Rig Up
Drill to 30'
RI & cement 30' 6-5/8
Core 30' to 500' PQ
POH, log, RIH
Cement HWT Casing
Core HQ 500 to 4000'
POH, log
Core NQ 4000 to 5000"
POH, log
Plug & Abandon
Rig Down
Total Operations
790-200
Unit price
Demobilization
Trucking
Unpack
Subtotal
Contingency 15%
Indirect 25.0%
Cost
$
$
10,000
20,000
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
30.00
35.00
28.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
500.00
6,000.00
8.00
15.00
5,000.00
3.00
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
900
17,500
84,000
1,000
10,000
500
6,000
4,400
75,000
5,000
1,500
2 $
1 $
1,000.00
4,930.00
$
$
$
2,000
4,930
242,730
4,930.00
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
4,930.00
$
4,930
$
3,052
$
9,156
$
57,986
$
12,208
$
9,156
$
427,263
$
18,311
$
122,075
$
18,311
$
6,104
$
9,860
$ 698,410.00
1
0.5
1.5
9.5
2
1.5
70
3
20
3
1
2
115
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
2 $ 1,000.00
1 $ 10,000.00
$
$
$
2,000
10,000
12,000
$
$
$
953,140
142,971
274,028
$
1,370,139
20
CS4002 Cost Estimate
Principal Investigator:
Project Name:
Number of Sites: 1
Sample Depth:
790-000
790-050
600
600-350
600-355
600-660
600-700
300
790-100
790-110
800-002
Item
Project Preparation
Site Visit
Equipment preparation
Site Preparation
Equipment
Casing
6-5/8"
HWT
NQ core rods
Casing accessories
Drill bits & Shells
Safety equipment
Spare parts
Core Boxes
Mud
Water
Cement
John Shervais
Snake River Plain
1600 m
Units
1 $ 10,000.00
1 $ 20,000.00
30
500
1000
1
15
1
1
650
6000
1
500
Mobilization
Trucking
Crew transportation
Total Mob & Equipment
Drilling Operations
Unload & Rig Up
Drill to 30'
RI & cement 30' 6-5/8
Core 30' to 500' PQ
POH, log, RIH
Cement HWT Casing
Core HQ 500 to 4000'
POH, log
Core NQ 4000 to 6000"
POH, log
Plug & Abandon
Rig Down
Total Operations
790-200
Unit price
Demobilization
Trucking
Unpack
Subtotal
Contingency 20%
Indirect 25.0%
Cost
$
$
10,000
20,000
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
30.00
35.00
28.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
500.00
6,000.00
5.00
15.00
5,000.00
3.00
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
900
17,500
28,000
1,000
15,000
500
6,000
3,250
90,000
5,000
1,500
2 $
1 $
1,000.00
4,930.00
$
$
$
2,000
4,930
205,580
4,930.00
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
4,930.00
$
4,930
$
3,052
$
9,156
$
57,986
$
12,208
$
9,156
$
427,263
$
18,311
$
274,669
$
18,311
$
6,104
$
9,860
$ 851,003.75
1
0.5
1.5
9.5
2
1.5
70
3
45
3
1
2
140
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
2 $ 1,000.00
1 $ 10,000.00
$
$
$
2,000
10,000
12,000
$
$
$
1,068,584
213,717
320,575
$
1,602,876
21
CS1500 Cost Estimate
Principal Investigator:
Project Name:
Mountain Home
Sample Depth:
790-000
790-050
600
600-350
600-355
600-660
600-700
300
790-100
790-110
800-002
Item
Project Preparation
Site Visit
Equipment preparation
Site Preparation
Equipment
Casing
6-5/8"
Casing accessories
Drill bits & Shells
Safety equipment
Spare parts
Core liners
Core Boxes
Mud
Water
Cement
John Shervais
Snake River Plain
700 m
Units
1 $ 10,000.00
1 $ 20,000.00
30
1
5
1
1
2300
250
2300
1
100
Mobilization
Trucking
Crew transportation
Total Mob & Equipment
Drilling Operations
Unload & Rig Up
Drill to 30'
RI & cement 30' 6-5/8
Core HQ 30 to 2300 ft
Plug & Abandon
Rig Down
Total Operations
790-200
Unit price
Demobilization
Trucking
Unpack
Subtotal
Contingency 15%
Indirect 25.0%
Cost
$
$
10,000
20,000
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
30.00
250.00
1,000.00
500.00
4,000.00
8,050.00
8.00
15.00
5,000.00
3.00
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
900
250
5,000
500
4,000
8,050
2,000
34,500
5,000
300
2 $
1 $
1,000.00
4,930.00
$
$
$
2,000
4,930
97,430
4,930.00
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
6,103.75
4,930.00
$
4,930
$
3,052
$
9,156
$
274,669
$
6,104
$
9,860
$ 307,770.00
1
0.5
1.5
45
1
2
51
$
$
$
$
$
$
2 $ 1,000.00
1 $ 10,000.00
$
$
$
2,000
10,000
12,000
$
$
$
417,200
62,580
119,945
$
599,725
22
LACCORE CORE DESCRIPTION AND HANDLING
Item
Quantity
Units
sediment core shipment from Idaho to LRC
600
meters
utility knife blades
10
fishing line
glass core scrapers
plastic wrap (46-gauge Saran 8)
heat-sealable plastic bag (4-mil PET)
D-tubes
D-tube endcaps
D-tube endcap labels
electrical tape
smear slides
smear slide labels
smear slide cover slips
smear slide storage boxes
UV cement for smear slides
foam tubing: 2-cm / 0.75-inch
foam tubing: 7-cm
CDs
DVDs
disc cases
Cost
Total
$
$
0.40
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
0.08
0.11
0.11
0.17
5.00
0.50
0.03
0.07
0.11
0.02
0.03
5.50
12.00
0.33
0.50
0.35
0.84
0.42
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
120
120
2400
2400
1200
1200
1200
600
740
740
740
7
1
600
60
10
5
15
meters
travel to Minneapolis
4
tickets
$
350.00
$
lodging in Minneapolis
90
nights
$
50.00
$
CORE (m)
600
meters
meters
meters
bottles
meters
meters
TOTAL
Note
ground shipment, pallets in a non-refrigerated
4,000.00 truck
4.00 core splitting
10.00
13.33
275.52
402.35
6,000.00
600.00
37.80
41.75
82.22
16.58
20.72
38.50
12.00
196.80
30.00
3.50
4.20
6.30
core splitting
cleaning/scraping split cores
split core storage
split core storage
split core storage
split core storage
split core storage
split core storage
core description
core description
core description
core description
core description
plugging u-channel sample voids
plugging sample voids
file transfer
file transfer
file transfer
for PI/science team to split/describe/image the
1,400.00
cores. cost will vary
4,500.00 University guest housing rates per person.
$ 17,695.57
DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
SEM time for diatom biostratigraphy; species
identification
100
hours
$
35.00
$
3,500.00
USC internal rate (for USC users)
technician/student help for sample processing and
diatom slide prep; specific gravity measurements, etc.
quantitative diatom analysis
304
200
hours
samples
$
$
15.00
40.00
$
$
4,560.00
8,000.00
2 months x 38 h/week @ $15/hour
CORE (m)
600
TOTAL
$ 16,060.00
Grand Total $ 33,755.57
23
Preliminary Cost calculation OSG logging: Snake River, Session 1
ICDP Project
Item
Single Costs /EUR
Job
Parameter
Sub-totals /EUR
10
3
1
No. of days for personnel (incl. stand-by & travel)
No. of people
Tranportation effort: short = 2 , long = 1
DLL slim
SGR slim
BS slim
DIP slim
MS slim
MP slim
FAC40 slim
FS slim
2000 m winch
1050
900
950
2150
600
300
300
5000
4600
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
1050
900
950
2150
600
300
300
0
4600
Insurance Sondes & Winch
for one hole (2 runs each sonde).
5000
1
5000
Transport of the winch
Transport of the rest
Supplies onsite
4000
3000
500
1
1
1
4000
3000
500
Travel EUR/person
1500
37
80
500
1
1
1
1
4500
1110
2400
500
0
0
GFZ personnel costs arise if the in-a-row operation time exceeds 20 days:
GFZ engineer EUR/day
780
0
GFZ technician EUR/day
560
0
0
0
Expenses EUR/day/person
Hotel costs EUR/day/person
Rental car etc.
Transport, Travel & hotel costs will be charged by the actual costs.
Expenses will be charged by the actual no. of days.
External personnel EUR/day
Total
500
31860
Slim sondes abbreviations:
SGR = Gamma spectrum (U,Th, K)
DLL = dual laterolog resistivity (Rshallow, Rdeep)
BS = borehole sonic (full waveforms, Vp)
MS = magnetic susceptibility
DIP/MAG = dipmeter (oriented 4-arm caliper, borehole orientation, 4 dip-traces, 3C-magnetic field)
FAC40 = acoustic borehole televiewer
MP = mud parameter sonde (T, p, MRES)
FS = fluid sampler, 0.6 liter, displacement type
All sondes include a total GR, except the FAC40.
24
Preliminary Cost calculation OSG logging: Snake River, Session 2
ICDP Project
Item
Single Costs /EUR
Job
Parameter
Sub-totals /EUR
10
3
1
No. of days for personnel (incl. stand-by & travel)
No. of people
Tranportation effort: short = 2 , long = 1
DLL slim
SGR slim
BS slim
DIP slim
MS slim
MP slim
FAC40 slim
FS slim
2000 m winch
1050
900
950
2150
600
300
300
5000
4600
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Insurance Sondes & Winch
for one hole
5000
0
0
Transport of the winch
Transport of the rest
Supplies onsite
4000
3000
500
0
0
1
0
0
500
Travel EUR/person
1500
Expenses EUR/day/person
37
Hotel costs EUR/day/person
80
Rental car etc.
500
Transport, Travel & hotel costs will be charged by the actual costs.
Expenses will be charged by the actual no. of days.
1
1
1
1
4500
1110
2400
500
External personnel EUR/day
500
GFZ personnel costs arise if the in a row operation time exceeds 20 days
GFZ engineer EUR/day
780
GFZ technician EUR/day
560
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
9010
25
Preliminary OSG Logging Schedule: Snake River, Session 1
Hole 1
Top Log:
30
BotLog:
1000
Vmax:
40
Log
activity
top log
[m]
bot log
[m]
range
[m]
speed
[m/min]
0
1000
0
1000
1000
1000
1000
0
1000
8
0
40
MP
run in
stationary
1 run out
SGR-MS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
970
970
30
0
1000
1000
1000
1000
30
1000
30
30
970
30
40
2
40
2
40
DLL
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
970
970
30
0
1000
1000
1000
1000
30
1000
30
30
970
30
40
10
40
10
40
BS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
970
970
30
0
1000
1000
1000
1000
30
1000
30
30
970
30
40
10
40
10
40
DIP/MAG
run in
1 log up
run in
log up
run out
0
970
970
30
0
1000
1000
1000
1000
30
1000
30
30
970
30
40
12
40
12
40
FAC40
run in
1 log up
run out
0
30
0
1000
1000
30
1000
970
30
40
1
40
repeat:
time
[min]
125
10
25
160
25
15
1
485
1
527
25
3
1
97
1
127
25
3
1
97
1
127
25
3
1
81
1
110
25
970
1
996
30
sum time
[min]
sum time
[h]
160
2,67
687
11,44
813
13,55
940
15,66
1049
17,49
2045
34,08
34,08
Log time
Safety
extra time for tool repairs and other contingency
600
2645
44,08
Rig up etc
max. time for installation of logging equipment in drill rig
240
2885
48,08
26
Preliminary OSG Logging Schedule: Snake River, Session 2
Hole 1
Top Log:
1000
BotLog:
1600
Vmax:
40
Log
activity
top log
[m]
bot log
[m]
range
[m]
speed
[m/min]
0
1600
0
1600
1600
1600
1600
0
1600
8
0
40
MP
run in
stationary
1 run out
SGR-MS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1570
1570
1000
0
1600
1600
1600
1600
1000
1600
30
30
600
1000
40
2
40
2
40
DLL
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1570
1570
1000
0
1600
1600
1600
1600
1000
1600
30
30
600
1000
40
10
40
10
40
BS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1570
1570
1000
0
1600
1600
1600
1600
1000
1600
30
30
600
1000
40
10
40
10
40
DIP/MAG
run in
1 log up
run in
log up
run out
0
1570
1570
1000
0
1600
1600
1600
1600
1000
1600
30
30
600
1000
40
12
40
12
40
FAC40
run in
1 log up
run out
0
1000
0
1600
1600
1000
1600
600
1000
40
1
40
repeat:
time
[min]
200
10
40
250
40
15
1
300
25
381
40
3
1
60
25
129
40
3
1
60
25
129
40
3
1
50
25
118
40
600
25
665
30
sum time
[min]
sum time
[h]
250
4,17
631
10,51
760
12,66
888
14,80
1007
16,78
1672
27,86
27,86
Log time
Safety
extra time for tool repairs and other contingency
600
2272
37,86
Rig up etc
max. time for installation of logging equipment in drill rig
240
2512
41,86
27
Preliminary OSG Logging Schedule: Snake River, Session 1
Hole 2
Top Log:
30
BotLog:
1200
Vmax:
40
Log
activity
top log
[m]
bot log
[m]
range
[m]
speed
[m/min]
time
[min]
150
10
30
190
30
15
1
585
1
632
30
3
1
117
1
152
30
3
1
117
1
152
30
3
1
98
1
132
30
1170
1
1201
MP
run in
stationary
1 run out
0
1200
0
1200
1200
1200
1200
0
1200
8
0
40
SGR-MS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1170
1170
30
0
1200
1200
1200
1200
30
1200
30
30
1170
30
40
2
40
2
40
DLL
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1170
1170
30
0
1200
1200
1200
1200
30
1200
30
30
1170
30
40
10
40
10
40
BS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1170
1170
30
0
1200
1200
1200
1200
30
1200
30
30
1170
30
40
10
40
10
40
DIP/MAG
run in
1 log up
run in
log up
run out
0
1170
1170
30
0
1200
1200
1200
1200
30
1200
30
30
1170
30
40
12
40
12
40
FAC40
run in
1 log up
run out
0
30
0
1200
1200
30
1200
1170
30
40
1
40
repeat:
30
sum time
[min]
sum time
[h]
190
3,17
822
13,69
973
16,22
1125
18,74
1256
20,93
2457
40,95
40,95
Log time
Safety
extra time for tool repairs and other contingency
600
3057
50,95
Rig up etc
max. time for installation of logging equipment in drill rig
240
3297
54,95
28
Preliminary OSG Logging Schedule: Snake River, Session 2
Hole 2
Top Log:
1200
BotLog:
1800
Vmax:
40
Log
activity
top log
[m]
bot log
[m]
range
[m]
speed
[m/min]
0
1800
0
1800
1800
1800
1800
0
1800
8
0
40
MP
run in
stationary
1 run out
SGR-MS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1770
1770
1200
0
1800
1800
1800
1800
1200
1800
30
30
600
1200
40
2
40
2
40
DLL
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1770
1770
1200
0
1800
1800
1800
1800
1200
1800
30
30
600
1200
40
10
40
10
40
BS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
1770
1770
1200
0
1800
1800
1800
1800
1200
1800
30
30
600
1200
40
10
40
10
40
DIP/MAG
run in
1 log up
run in
log up
run out
0
1770
1770
1200
0
1800
1800
1800
1800
1200
1800
30
30
600
1200
40
12
40
12
40
FAC40
run in
1 log up
run out
0
1200
0
1800
1800
1200
1800
600
1200
40
1
40
repeat:
time
[min]
225
10
45
280
45
15
1
300
30
391
45
3
1
60
30
139
45
3
1
60
30
139
45
3
1
50
30
128
45
600
30
675
30
sum time
[min]
sum time
[h]
280
4,67
671
11,18
810
13,49
948
15,80
1077
17,94
1752
29,19
29,19
Log time
Safety
extra time for tool repairs and other contingency
600
2352
39,19
Rig up etc
max. time for installation of logging equipment in drill rig
240
2592
43,19
29
Preliminary OSG Logging Schedule: Snake River
Hole 3
Top Log:
30
BotLog:
700
Vmax:
40
Log
activity
top log
[m]
bot log
[m]
range
[m]
speed
[m/min]
MP
run in
stationary
1 run out
0
700
0
700
700
700
700
0
700
8
0
40
SGR-MS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
670
670
30
0
700
700
700
700
30
700
30
30
670
30
40
2
40
2
40
DLL
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
670
670
30
0
700
700
700
700
30
700
30
30
670
30
40
10
40
10
40
BS
run in
log up
1 run in
log up
run out
0
670
670
30
0
700
700
700
700
30
700
30
30
670
30
40
10
40
10
40
DIP/MAG
run in
1 log up
run in
log up
run out
0
670
670
30
0
700
700
700
700
30
700
30
30
670
30
40
12
40
12
40
FAC40
run in
1 log up
run out
0
30
0
700
700
30
700
670
30
40
1
40
repeat:
time
[min]
88
10
18
115
18
15
1
335
1
369
18
3
1
67
1
89
18
3
1
67
1
89
18
3
1
56
1
77
18
670
1
688
30
sum time
[min]
sum time
[h]
115
1,92
484
8,07
573
9,55
662
11,03
739
12,32
1428
23,79
23,79
Log time
Safety
extra time for tool repairs and other contingency
600
2028
33,79
Rig up etc
max. time for installation of logging equipment in drill rig
240
2268
37,79
30
Sr 0.706
Sugar City
INL
Deer Flat
MH-2
Mtn Home
Wendell
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Existing Holes
Potential New Sites
Appendix: Digital topographic map of Snake River Hotspot track, showing potential new drill sites and existing sites.
31
Sr 0.706
Sugar City
INL
Deer Flat
MH-2
Mtn Home
Wendell
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Existing Holes
Potential New Sites
Appendix: Aeromagnetic map of Snake River Hotspot track, showing potential new drill sites and existing sites.
32
Sr 0.706
Sugar City
INL
Deer Flat
MH-2
Mtn Home
Wendell
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Existing Holes
Potential New Sites
Appendix: Bouger gravity map of Snake River Hotspot track, showing potential new drill sites and existing sites.
33
Sr 0.706
Sugar City
INL
Deer Flat
MH-2
Mtn Home
Wendell
Minidoka
Twin Falls
Existing Holes
Potential New Sites
Appendix: Isostatic gravity map of Snake River Hotspot track, showing potential new drill sites and existing sites.
34
Sugar City
0.7 km
Deer Flat
3.0 km
WO-2
1.52 km
Mtn Home
WSRP 1.3 km
0.7 km
Minidoka
1.6 km
Wendell
0.34 km
?
?
?
Twin Falls
1.8 km
?
Sediment
Basalt
Rhyolite
Digital topographic map showing location of existing drill holes that have been cored or
partially cored (Mtn Home, WO-2, Sugar City) or which have preserved cuttings at 10’ intervals
(Deer Flat). Western and central holes have basalt interalated with sediment, eastern holes
have basalt on or intercalated with rhyolite. Also shown are locations and depths of proposed
new deep core holes (white). All holes are located approximately under their name tags.
35
198 ka
247 ka
Core NPR-E/WO2
Idaho National Lab
641 ka
216-232 m
710-760
Bruhnes-Matuyama 780 ka
268-277 m
Basalt
880-910
Sediment
982 ka
478-482 m
512-518 m
Olduvai 1.79 Ma
527-552 m
1570-1580
1680-1700
1730-1810
1.865 Ma
610-622 m
2000-2040
695-698 m
2280-2290
786-789 m
2580-2590
799-802 m
2620-2630
981-985 m
3220-3230
1143 m
3750 Feet
Rhyolite
Basalt Ends
4.450 Ma
Rhyolite
5000 feet
1524 m
Bottom
36
0 feet
Dense subaerial basalt flows
with intercalated sediments
162 m
532 feet
(≈1.8 Ma)
circa 1.8 Ma
Lacustrine sediment:
sandy silt and clay
diatom-rich
Core MH-1
Mountain Home Air Force Base
Basalt
587 m
606-616 m
664-733 m
circa 5 Ma
1927 feet
Altered Basalt
1988 to 2022
Altered basalt
2178 to 2405
801-804 m
Ash
2627 to 2639
971-1015 m
Altered basalt
3187 to 3329
Altered Basalt
Lacustrine
Sediment
Ash
Dense Subaerial
Basalt Flows
with
Intercalated
hyaloclastites
1342 m
4403 feet
Bottom of Hole
37
(all Normal polarity)
< 400 Ka
Wendell RASA Test Hole, Jerome County, Idaho
Lithologic Log
100 m
(Normal polarity) (Reverse polarity)
4-5 Ma
~1-2.5 Ma
Ages estimated
from geomagnetic
time scale
(Champion)
200 m
300 m
342 m
1123’
Bottom
38
Meters
Feet
Sugar City Exploration Well, Madison County, Idaho
Lithologic Log
Gravel: well-rounded cobbles & pebbles of basalt, quartzite, granite,
schist, and gneiss (No core recovered).
Basalt flows: grey, aphanitic to microphyric, with arkosic sand intercalations.
Ar/Ar age
2.059 ±0.004 Ma
100 m
500’
Gravel: clasts of quartzite, rhyolite, basalt, and granite, 3- 5 cm, in sandy matrix.
Basalt flows: diktytaxitic, 5-15% olivine phenocrysts, thin gravel and sand intercalations.
Huckleberry Ridge tuff: pink, eutaxitic crystal-rich (10-30% phenocryts), underlain by
slightly welded ash fall tuff. Age = 2.059 ±0.004 Ma (Lanphere et al, GSAB, 2002).
Basalt: black, vesicular, 1% olivine phenocrysts.
Sandy ash: very fine to medium sand and reworked ash with pumice.
Rhyolitic lava flow: black vitrophyre, 5% phenocrysts plagioclase, sanidine, cpx;
local flow banding, spherulites.
200 m
Welded tuff: fine grained, 2% sanidine, 1% quartz phenocrysts. Vapor-phase
crystallization near base.
K/Ar age
3.5 ±0.3 Ma
300 m
1000’
Rhyolitic lava flow: dark grey to pink, flow-banded, 1-5% phenocrysts plagioclase and
sanidine, with sparse clinopyroxene, and quartz; flow banding is locally contorted
with brecciation in places; botton 20-25 m of flow consists of black perlitic vitrophyre.
K/Ar age of 3.5 ±0.3 Ma reported by Morgan et al, JGR, 1984.
400 m
1500’
500 m
Black purlitic vitrophyre: base of lava flow (above).
Welded tuffs: pale reddish brown to orange, with minor sanidine and plagioclase
phenocrysts; eutaxitic, partially devitrified.
600 m
2000’
Ash: reworked, with about 10% quartz crystals.
Ash: reworked, with 5-30% quartz, feldspar crystals.
Welded tuff: red to green, locally propylitic, with minor sanidine and plagioclase.
Rhyolite lava flow: reddish orange, flow-banded, very fine grained, with < 1%
phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, quartz, and mafics. Local propylitic alteration
with chalcedony veins and spherulitic zones.
700 m
TD: 2283’
696 m
Modified from G.F. Embree, M.D. Lovell, and D.J. Doherty, USGS OFR 78-1095, 1978
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Appendix – Snake River Drilling Project
Clean Rock AND Water Sampling Protocols
Oregon State University, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
Contacts:
Martin Fisk [email protected] (work phone 541-737-5208)
Rick Colwell [email protected] (work phone 541-737-5220).
Kevin Verin [email protected] (work phone 541-737-3334)
Dewar shipping container belongs to Stephen Giovannoni, Oregon State University.
Return it by FEDEX to the address on the dewar container.
Obtain shipping number from Kevin Vergin during work hours Pacific Time.
ROCK PLEASE READ THIS PROTOCOL BEFORE STARTING
Day 0 (day before sampling)
a. Familiarize yourself with the opening and closing of the dewar and the metal can inside.
b. Add 12 liters of liquid nitrogen to dewar.
c. Discuss sampling plan with core curator and core loggers including no handling of core until
sample is taken.
d. Establish a work space near the core processing area.
a
Day 1
a. When core starts up from bottom of hole, note the time of sampling. Sample Time =_______.
b. Open Cooler of Supplies
c. Get out (1) alcohol in squeeze bottle, (2) Sharpee® and paper label, (3) paper towels
(4) tape, (5) box of LATEX gloves.
d. Get CLOTH gloves out of Dewar Shipping Container
e. Lay out plastic bag big enough to hold pipette box.
f. REQUEST THAT TECHS/CORE LOGGERS NOT HANDLE THE CORE UNTIL YOU
TAKE
A SAMPLE
g. Note the time the core is laid out on the core table: Time core arrives at surface = _________.
h. Put on LATEX gloves
i. Get sterile plastic pipette box out of cooler.
j. Sterilize gloves with alcohol from the squirt bottle.
k. Observe core and identify a piece that contains a pillow margin or interpillow breccia.
l. With gloved hand pick up a 12 cm piece of whole round rock and immediately put it in the
pipette
box.
m. Tape the pipette box closed.
n. Place pipette box with rock in plastic bag.
o. Fill out label with DATE, "HSDP", SAMPLE ID, YOUR NAME
p. Put label in bag.
q. Open lid of Dewar Shipping Container.
r. Find allen wrench.
s. Lift lid of dewar.
t. Quickly remove bolts from metal can in Dewar Shipping Container
u. Quickly place bagged pipette box in metal can.
If this is the last sample you will put into the metal can, quickly pack loose paper towels around the
pipette box to keep the pipette box from moving around.
v. Quickly replace lid on metal can and tighten bolts. AND Quickly replace dewar cover.
w. Replace allen wrench in Dewar Shipping Container.
x. Close and secure cover of Dewar Shipping Container.
y. NOTE THE TIME THE ROCK IS PLACED IN THE DEWAR: Time in Dewar _____
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SHIP BY FEDEX - ONE DAY.
SHIP TO ARRIVE ON TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
TO ADDRESS ON THE SHIPPING LABEL
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SHIPPING CALL KEVIN VERGIN (541-737-3334)
DURING WORK HOURS PACIFIC COAST TIME
COLLECT WATER SAMPLE
a. Collect two 4 ml vials of water/mud that is pumped into the well. This can bedone at any time.
b. Collect two 4 ml vials of water/mud that drains off the core when it is removed from the well.
c. Label vials with DATE, "Snake R. Plain" and "into well" or "out of well and " YOUR NAME.
d. Seal vials with parafilm.
e. Place vials in a plastic bag.
f. Duplicate the vial information onto a label and put the label in the bag with the vials.
g. Freeze these vials in the bag and a refregerator freeze.
h. When the dewar is open place the bag of frozen vials next to the pipette boxes.
2
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