FAR-DEEP: Fennoscandian Arctic Russia Drilling Early Earth Project

The transition from the Archean Eon to the Proterozoic Eon (2.5 - 2.0 billion years ago) represents one of the most critical transitions in Earth's history as it reflects the emergence of the modern aerobic Earth System. Various lines of evidence indicate that this period witnessed the establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere and, perhaps related, the first global glaciation in Earth history. Critical to understanding this transitional interval are studies that integrate the various proxy datasets which document the various processing operating at this time. The drilling project is a multidisciplinary international study of major environmental changes across the Archean-Proterozoic boundary in order to provide a better understanding of the emergence of the modern aerobic Earth System. The aim of this project is to obtain a coherent rock-record through this transition via the acquisition of fresh drillcore material from strategic locations within Fennoscandia. The diversity of processes and events recorded for this most important time interval in Earth history, in particular within the Fennoscandian Arctic of Russia, make this effort particularly significant in terms of intellectual merit.

The broader impacts of this activity include the close collaboration among investigators from several countries and with their cohort of students, who will have a valuable experience in the art of scientific drilling. The International Continental Drilling Program has partially funded the drilling, contingent on contributions from other sources including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

This proposal represents a request for half of the United States participation in this effort. NASA is contributing a similar amount. Drilling operations will be overseen by the subcontractor on this project, the International Continental Drilling Program (GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam).