International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, ICDP

Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam - Deutsches Geoforschungszentrum Gfz, Potsdam

Investigators

Abstract

ICDP is an internationally managed and operated Earth Science research program. It addresses fundamental geoscientific problems of global significance and is undertaken by international teams of scientists at carefully selected sites around the world. ICDP serves the entire Earth Science community and is peer-reviewed. Significant progress has been made in recent years in the conceptual understanding of the highly complex 'System Earth' with its numerous subsystems. As a result, it has become clear that scientific drilling is an indispensible tool in our understanding of Earth processes and properties. Drilling provides the only means of obtaining direct information on processes operating at depth. It allows for determination of in situ-properties of solid materials and fluids and permits testing of hypotheses and models derived from surface observations, remote sensing data and laboratory experiments. In addition, drill holes may be used as a natural laboratory for experiments and as an observatory for long term monitoring of ongoing active processes. Earth drilling, therefore, plays a critical role both in scientific research directed towards improved understanding of the workings of our planet and in solving urgent societal problems. ICDP support is based on the 'comingled funding' principle and international costsharing. Each drilling project is independently organized in the form of a Joint Research Venture(JRV)between the ICDP and the Principle Investigator(s). This award provides continued support for the U.S. participation in ICDP.