Articles | Volume 35, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-61-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-61-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Science report
| 
17 Mar 2026
Science report |
| 17 Mar 2026
| 17 Mar 2026
Scientific deep drilling in the Chew Bahir basin: advantages and pitfalls of two overlapping sediment cores
Institute of Geography Education, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Asfawossen Asrat
Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Palapye, Botswana
School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Christopher Bronk Ramsey
Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Erik T. Brown
Large Lakes Observatory and Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth MN, USA
Alan Deino
Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley CA, USA
Asfaw Erbello
Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia
University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Markus L. Fischer
University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Daniel Gebregiorgis
Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, USA
Annett Junginger
Department of Geoscience, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr
Institute for Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Christine S. Lane
Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Stephan Opitz
Institute for Geography, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Anders Noren
Continental Scientific Drilling Facility, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
Helen M. Roberts
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
Ralph Tiedemann
Unit of Evolutionary Biology/Systematic Zoology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Céline-Marie Vidal
Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Finn Viehberg
Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
Ralf Vogelsang
Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Charlotte Zachow
Department of Geoscience, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
Bahru Zinaye
Institute of Geography Education, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Andrew S. Cohen
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, USA
deceased
Henry F. Lamb
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
Department of Botany, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Frank Schaebitz
Institute of Geography Education, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Martin H. Trauth
University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
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Short summary
To explore links between human evolution and environmental change, the Chew Bahir basin in southern Ethiopia, a sedimentary climate archive, was investigated through a series of scientific drilling expeditions. We share key lessons from planning, site selection, drilling strategy and core processing, with a focus on the awards and challenges in collecting and merging twin sediment cores into a near-continuous record to provide practical lessons for future projects.
To explore links between human evolution and environmental change, the Chew Bahir basin in...
