ICDP Operational Report about drilling the Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition in Namibia and Brazil (GRIND-ECT – Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling)

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The GRIND project (Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling), sponsored by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), aims to establish a core archive of the Neoproterozoic Era through three phases: Tonian (GRIND-TON), Cryogenian (GRIND-CRY), and the Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition (GRIND-ECT). The GRIND-ECT phase, the first to be undertaken, focuses on investigating the geological and biogeochemical context of late Ediacaran environmental disturbances and biological turnovers that culminated in the Cambrian Explosion. Targeting mixed siliciclastic-carbonate successions in Namibia, Brazil, and China, GRIND-ECT drilling has so far been completed in Namibia and Brazil. Drilling was conducted across three operational windows: September–November 2019 (Namibia), May 2022 (Brazil), and May–June 2022 (Namibia). In total, six cores were recovered in Namibia (2,379 meters) and two in Brazil (306 meters), with all cores achieving over 95% recovery. All cores have been split, fully characterized, and archived at the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) in Berlin-Spandau, Germany, and either the Ministry of Mines in Windhoek, Namibia, or the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. Drilling at all sites recovered HQ core, averaging 50 meters per day using environmentally responsible methods, including re-circulated water mixed as a lubricant instead of chemical-based fluids, and careful site restoration. This operational report provides a comprehensive overview of GRIND-ECT activities, from drilling preparations and operations to sampling parties, and describes the available datasets and sample material.

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