We present the results of comprehensive pre-site surveys and deep drillings in two clay pans in the central Atacama Desert of northern Chile, one of the driest deserts on Earth. The results of the site surveys as well as lithological and downhole-logging data of the deep-drilling operations highlight the potential of the sediment records from the PAG (Playa Adamito Grande) and Paranal clay pans to provide unprecedented information on the Neogene precipitation history of the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. 

We present five new sediment cores, the Rates of Interglacial Sea-level Change and Responses (RISeR) cores, extracted from the southern North Sea. The cores will allow us to study the evolution of the basin in the Quaternary (the last 2.58 million years). The cores reveal widespread soil, wetland, and river deposits, reflecting a lost, predominantly terrestrial, landscape that now sits around 20 m below sea level. Understanding these landscapes is vital, as they form the foundations for a rapidly growing offshore wind industry.

The Eifel region in Germany hosts hundreds of distributed volcanoes of Quaternary age, including the Laacher See volcano that produced an eruption of VEI (volcanic explosivity index) 6 13 kyr ago, and is underlain by one of the youngest silicate–carbonatite intrusive complexes worldwide. Recently, three workshops were held to sharpen scientific questions of global scope and relevance to study this type of volcanism by drilling. This report summarised the workshop outcome with a clear science plan for the drilling project.

In this paper, we present the technical choices we made to craft a universal core opening bench. This device has been designed to open sediment cores in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) liners up to 1.5 m long and with 3 mm thick walls. The accepted external diameters are 63 and 90 mm, but this may be customized easily. All plans and 3D shapes are available online at no charge.

Choosing samples from large sections of hard-rock cores often relies on preliminary chemical analyses, which can be limited and therefore misrepresentative of full chemical variability. This study adapts X-ray fluorescence core-scanning techniques for use on hard-rock basalt cores to outline a method that provides accurate chemical information in greater detail relative to traditional analytical methods. The presented workflow suggests significant contributions to new and legacy core research.

This study investigated previously underexplored deep-water movement in the Bushveld Complex. Analysis of water and rock data from a deep exploration well revealed distinct changes in water chemistry at 450 m below ground level, associated with a severely fractured rock layer and a deep rock conduit. These features indicate potential deep, saline, gas-rich water pathways containing high dissolved salts and specific metals, providing insight into deep fluid migration in fractured hard rocks.

State-of-the-art scientific drilling frequently involves X-ray scanning to get an initial overview of the recovered cores. The X-ray scanner generates a huge 3D image, usually explored with a specialized computer located several meters away from the cores. We suggest using paper summaries of the X-ray images for a more focused description without digital distractions. In particular, we propose creating a virtual image that wraps around the core, similar to how the Shroud of Turin shows a body.

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.