Curation The cores will be curated and labelled, and stored in a temperature-controlled reefer (~4°C). There will be no splitting of the cores at sea with the majority of scientific analyses being conducted during the Onshore Science Party (OSP) at the BCR/MARUM is scheduled for late 2024/early 2025.
All data will be recorded in the offshore mobile Drilling Information System (ExpeditionmDIS) database.
Curation will be done in the designated area on board the drilling platform. Curatorial representatives onboard will have delegated responsibility in the absence of the ESO Curation and Laboratory Manager and Scientific Ocean Drilling Programs Curator for the Bremen Core Repository (BCR) and MSPs, Dr. Ursula Röhl.
Core catcher (CC) description and sampling, if available, for initial sedimentological, micropaleontological, petrophysical and/or structural characterization. If no core catcher sample is recovered, a sample from the lower end of each core will be taken for shipboard analysis. Smear slides or when required thin section billets may be taken in representative sections for preparation in advance of the OSP, as advised by offshore scientists.
Geochemistry Headspace sediment samples will be taken from the fresh cut end of a core section on a routine basis (in suitable lithologies and dependent on core recovery) and stored in the reefer container for onshore analysis.
Taking and storage of groundwater* from various depths in drilled boreholes. Taking and proper storage of groundwater samples for gas analyses, and acquisition and splitting of groundwater samples.
In suitable lithologies, pore-water samples (e.g. squeezers and/or rhizone moisture samplers) will be taken on a routine basis. Pore-water will be extracted immediately from cores and ephemeral properties (e.g. salinity, pH, alkalinity and ammonia) will be analyzed. Sample splits for onshore analysis (e.g. cations, sulfide, 13C) will be prepared and preserved whilst offshore and stored in the reefer container.
Core physical properties Temperature-equilibrated cores will be measured on the expedition platform in a containerized laboratory utilizing a multi-sensor core logger (MSCL). All cores (>10 cm) will be measured on the multi-sensor core logger (MSCL; gamma density, P-wave velocity, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and natural gamma radiation).
*Under the assumption that the contractor and the Science Team are responsible for the equipment and sampling.