Drilling at Ancora, New Jersey, began in early July 1998. Drilling operations were superintended by Don Queen, head driller for the USGS EESPT; drillers were Gene Cobbs and Gene Cobbs III. On 2 July, the USGS team arrived on site, began rigging up, and tested the water well. J. Browning (staff scientist) moved equipment on site and tested electrical outlets installed by Esposito Electric and the Ancora maintenance engineers (J. Sargent, chief engineer). Hydrocarbons in the well prompted removal of a gasoline storage tank from the site and delayed setup until 7 July when 12-in surface casing was set to 2 ft (0.61 m). Water was provided by a NJGS 1500-gal water truck. On 8 July, heavy morning rains delayed setup; the science team found that the building originally designated for use as a field lab was unacceptable because of the presence of pesticides and a leaking roof. A field lab was set up in a barn on site. A digital Olympus D-320L camera and a Power Macintosh 7200 were set up to photograph 2-ft (0.61 m) core segments; we evaluated the photographs for lighting artifacts on hand auger cores, white polyvinyl chloride (PVC) liner, and black background using National Institutes of Health (NIH) Imaging 1.61 software. Background levels on blanks were typically 15-45 over 256 grayscale units.
All cores were measured in feet, and all depths are given in feet below land surface. In this report, measurements are also reported in meters for the convenience of the reader. We adopted the ODP convention of top, justifying depths for intervals with incomplete recovery, for all field notes and photos.
The first core from Hole A was obtained on 8 July, making 5-ft runs to recover the sands expected in the upper 200 ft (60.96 m). The inner core barrel could not be extracted from the first run; the 8.5-ft rod was pulled to show that the 1-in extended shoe had flared while penetrating gravels. As a result, 2 ft (0.61 m) was recovered on a 5-ft (1.52 m) run. The second run recovered 2.1 ft (0.64 m) of gravel from a 2.5-ft (0.76 m) run; recovery was close to 100% when accounting for the volume of the expanded gravels. Gravels at the top of the next run (9.5-12.0 ft [2.90-3.66 m]) were probably caved in, with 1 ft (0.3 m) of in situ core. The day ended at 15 ft (4.57 m), having recovered 7.3 ft (2.23 m) out of 13 ft (3.96 m) cored (56% recovery).
On July 9, D. Queen left for Reston, Virginia, to pick up casing. Coring proceeded smoothly through unconsolidated and semiconsolidated sands. We opted for short (1.0-2.5 ft [0.30-0.76 m]) runs for good recovery between 15 and 30 ft (4.57-9.14 m). Several consolidated layers slowed coring, but recovery was excellent. We switched back to 5-ft (1.52 m) runs at 30 ft (9.14 m) and had excellent recovery in the Cohansey sands; recovery was higher than that shown in Table T1 as a result of the "squashing" of the sands (i.e., 4.3-4.6 ft [1.31-1.40 m] recovered on a 5-ft [1.52 m] run represents virtually 100% recovery). The day ended with 43.3 ft (13.20 m) recovered out of 50 ft (15.24 m) cored (87% recovery). The hole was purged with 150 gal of mud (8.75-lb mud weight), and 20 ft (6.10 m) of rods was hung in the hole.
Smooth coring continued on the morning of 10 July, with excellent recovery throughout the morning to 95 ft (28.96 m). At 1100 hr, the hydraulic motor seized. The drillers returned to Reston to get a new pump. On 11 July, the pump was repaired.
Coring resumed on 12 July from 95 to 145 ft (28.96-44.20 m), with 42.7 ft [13.01 m] recovered. The computed recovery of 85.4% actually exceeds 90% after accounting for "squashing" of the sands. The hole consumed water throughout the morning. The bottom of the hole (BOH) collapsed after recovery of Core 33 (135-140 ft [41.15-42.67 m]) as a result of a change in lithology from clayey sands to more porous clean quartz sands at ~138.5 ft (42.21 m). Core 35 (140-145 ft [42.67-44.2 m]) contained "dry sands" that proved difficult to extract from the core barrel. The rods were pulled 10 ft (3.05 m) from the BOH and hung overnight to hinder collapse of the porous clean sands.
Smooth coring continued on 13 July at 10 ft/hr, penetrating the top of the Kirkwood Formation at 167.9 ft (51.18 m). Core 40 (170-175 ft [51.82-53.34 m]) had only 0.6 ft (0.18 m) of recovery. As the inner barrel was pulled, the core slipped out and lodged in the bit. During the following run (175-180 ft [53.34-54.86 m]), the inner core barrel lodged behind the core without locking into the outer core barrel, resulting in no recovery for Core 41. We pulled the inner core barrel and cleared the obstruction. The top 0.8 ft (0.24 m) of Cores 42-44 (180-195 ft [54.86-59.44 m]) apparently contained cavings from the previous two cores. By Core 45 (195-200 ft [59.44-60.96 m]), there was minimal caving, penetrating clays suitable for casing off the sands in the top 199 ft (60.66 m). The day ended at 205 ft (62.48 m), with 48.5 ft (14.78 m) recovered out of 60 ft (18.29 m) cored (80.8% recovery).
On 14
July, 5 ft (1.52 m) of core (5.3 ft recovery [1.62 m]) was
pulled. The drillers reamed the hole on 14-15 July, and 210
ft (64.01 m) of 5-in (12.7 cm) flush PVC casing was set into
firm clays at 208.5 ft (63.55 m), leaving 1.5 ft (0.46 m)
out of the ground. The hole was grouted with bentonite (Benseal)
on 15 July, and the top of the hole was sealed with one
5-gal can of 
-in
(1 cm) bentonite pellets and two bags of Goldbond medium
seal. This grouting and sealing allows either removal of
casing at completion or further grouting of the top of the
hole. J. Curran of the NJGS was contacted about logging the
upper 200 ft (60.96 m); it was decided to log the entire
hole at total depth because his logging computer was not
operating.
On 16 July, we switched to 10-ft (3.05 m) runs in tight clays and enjoyed perfect recovery. The USGS Water Resources Division (WRD) sampled three clay intervals (212.0-212.8 ft [64.62-64.86 m], 224.1-224.9 ft [68.31-68.55 m], and 251.0-251.7 ft [76.5-76.72 m]). We continued with 10-ft (3.05 m) runs and near-perfect recovery as we penetrated unconsolidated sands of the "Piney Point aquifer." The day ended with 69.5 ft (21.18 m) recovered out of 70 ft (21.34 m) cored (99.25% recovery).
On 17 July, smooth coring continued with 10-ft (3.05 m) runs. Core 58 was cut short at 6 ft (1.83 m) with no core loss as marls were penetrated. Coring continued through slightly clayey medium-grained quartz sands. The day ended at 360 ft (109.73 m), with 79.5 ft [24.26 m] recovered out of 80 ft (24.34 m) cored (99.4% recovery).
On 18 July, we continued with 10-ft (3.05 m) core runs, enjoying full recovery in the morning in clay and glauconitic clay. In the afternoon, drilling slowed because the dry, fine-grained Manasquan Formation clays between 390 and 405 ft (118.87-123.44 m) began to cake up on the outside of the core barrel, forcing the drilling fluid into the aquifers, and causing the loss of circulation. The USGS WRD took sediment samples for pore squeezing at 362.0-362.5 (110.34-110.49 m) and 393.0-393.5 ft (119.79-119.94 m). The day ended at 410 ft (124.97 m), with 50.7 ft recovered (15.45 m) out of 50 ft (15.24 m) cored (101% recovery); only one run had less than full recovery (Core 68 had a 5-ft run with 4.4 ft recovered [1.34 m recovered out of 1.52 m]).
On 19 July, we continued with 5-ft (1.52 m) runs into the glauconitic clays of the Manasquan Formation. Recovery was excellent from 410 to 427 ft (124.97-130.15 m; 110% recovery). The USGS WRD took samples at 421.5-422.0 ft (128.47-128.63 m). At 427 ft (130.15 m), indurated porcellanitic clays mangled the drill shoe; the section from 427 to 430 ft (130.15-131.06 m) was drilled and recovered using a core catcher designed for hard rock. Carbonate cemented sediment continued to make drilling difficult and resulted in mangled drilling shoes and moderate-poor recovery for Cores 73 (83%; 427-430 ft; 130.15-131.06 m) and 74 (40%; 430-440 ft; 131.06-134.11 m). The day ended at 443 ft (135.03 m), with 28.6 ft (8.72 m) recovered out of 33 ft (10.06 m) drilled (86.5% recovery).
Smooth coring resumed on 20 July despite penetrating interbeds of hard and very hard clays. We ran the snout shoe, cored from 443 to 450 ft (135.03-137.16 m) with 93% recovery, and resumed 10-ft (3.05 m) runs with excellent recovery. The USGS WRD took samples at 458.5-459.0 ft (139.75-139.9 m). Coring slowed and the next run (Core 78; 460-470 ft [140.21-143.26 m]) only recovered 1.05 ft (0.32 m) of core. This core had apparently lodged and pushed the inner core barrel up, leaving the rest of the core in the barrel. We unsuccessfully attempted to retrieve it by running the inner core barrel with a large shoe. The rods were pulled during the afternoon and 0.9 ft (0.27 m) of core was retrieved in the lowermost rod. Although the 1.05-ft (0.32 m) section retrieved in the core barrel is likely from the top of the 10-ft (3.05 m) run and the 0.9-ft (0.27 m) section retrieved in the lowermost rod is likely from the base of the 10-ft (3.05 m) run, the two sections were top justified and logged as a single run with recovery from 460 to 462 ft (140.21-140.82 m). The section from 461 to 462 ft (140.51-140.82 m) may be significantly disturbed by the process of redrilling and pulling the rods; the section from 461.8 to 462.0 ft (140.76-140.82 m) is especially suspect. The rods were replaced and the section from 400 to 470 ft (121.92-143.26 m) was redrilled to try to clear the clays which had been interrupting circulation.
Coring resumed on 21 July with 10-ft (3.05 m) runs. Circulation was still intermittent throughout the morning. USGS WRD took samples at 476.4-477.0 ft (145.21-145.39 m). The run for Core 81 (490-498 ft [149.35-151.79 m]) had 2 ft of drill mud stuck in the top of the barrel, which prevented drilling a full 10-ft (3.05 m) run. This run was packed in the barrel and may have been fractured during drilling. The next run (498-500 ft [151.79-152.4 m]) retrieved no core. The run for Core 83 (500-508 ft [152.4-154.84 m]) recovered 7.3 ft (2.23 m) of solid core; the top 2 ft (0.61 m) was severely disturbed and was discarded.
On 22 July, most of the first core (Core 84; 508-515 ft [154.84-156.97 m]) was chewed up and mixed with drilling mud; 3.65 ft (1.11 m) was archived, 1.25 ft (0.38 m) was logged, and 0.7 ft (0.21 m) was solid core. Drilling stopped in late morning for filming by the Discovery Channel on deep bacteria. We switched to a 5-ft (1.52 m) run, a short (vs. snub) shoe, and cored to 520 ft (158.5 m) with 102% recovery. We returned to 10-ft (3.05 m) runs from 520 to 540 ft (158.50-164.59 m) and obtained full recovery in uniform silty clays. The day ended at 540 ft (164.59 m), with 26.6 ft (8.11 m) recovered out of 32 ft (9.75 m) cored (83% recovery). The USGS WRD took samples at 515.5-516.3 and 530.2-531.2 ft (157.12-157.37 and 161.6-161.91 m).
On 23 July, the top of the first core (Core 88; 540-550 ft [164.59-167.64 m]) was partly chewed up and mixed with drilling mud; although the barrel came up full, the top 6.4 ft (1.95 m) contained a mixture of solid core and drilling mud, whereas the base of the core contained 3.6 ft (1.10 m) of solid core. After extensive washing, 1.9 ft (0.58 m) of the top 6.4 ft (1.95 m) was saved. We top justified the bottom 3.6 ft (1.10 m) for a total recovery of 5.5 ft (1.68 m); all field notes, photos, and samples reflect a depth of 545.5 ft (166.27 m) for the base of this core. However, it is clear that the bottom 3.6 ft (1.10 m) came from the BOH, and we may need to recalibrate the depths accordingly. This is critical because this section appears to record part of the late Paleocene CIE. The next two cores required extensive circulation after drilling to equalize pressure on the system; both yielded excellent recovery. The USGS WRD took samples at 566.5-567.0 and 575.5-576.0 ft (172.67-172.82 and 175.41-175.56 m). The day ended at 580 ft (176.78 m), with 36.4 ft (11.09 m) recovered out of 40 ft (12.19 m) cored (90.9% recovery).
On 24 July, we switched to 5-ft (1.52 m) runs to minimize core loss near important contacts and enjoyed >100% recovery down to 610 ft (185.93 m). The USGS WRD took samples at 592.5-593.0 ft (180.59-180.75 m). Runs 94 and 95 spanned 590-600 ft (179.83-182.88 m) and are reported as 590-595.0 and 590.5-600.0 ft (179.83-181.36 and 179.98-182.88 m). Based on recovery and the fact that the first run was judged to be slightly <5.5 ft long, (1.68 m), the actual depths of these cores should be 590.0-595.3 and 595.3-600.0 ft (179.83-181.45 and 181.45-182.88 m). Similarly, Cores 95 and 96 spanned 600-610 ft (182.88-185.93 m) and are reported as 600.0-605.5 and 605.5-610.0 ft (182.88-184.56 and 184.56-185.93 m), respectively, although the actual depths are probably 600.0-605.3 and 605.3-610.0 ft (182.88-184.50 and 184.50-185.93 m). The USGS WRD took samples at 606.0-606.5 ft (184.71-184.86 m). We judged that the K/T boundary would be at ~615 ft (187.45 m) and decided to run a 10-ft (3.05 m) core. We obtained a full-recovery core spanning the K/T boundary. The next 10-ft (3.05 m) run also obtained full recovery. The day ended at 630 ft (192.02 m), with 51.8 ft (15.79 m) recovered out of 50 ft (15.24 m) cored (103.6% recovery including core expansion).
On 25 July, we began with two 5-ft (1.52 m) runs but switched over to 10-ft (3.05 m) runs; recovery remained near perfect. Run 104 was ended short when the core became firmer and the drillers feared they would lose the bottom portion. The day ended at 690 ft (210.31 m), with 60.05 ft [18.30 m] recovered out of 60 ft [18.29 m] cored (100% recovery).
On 26 July, operations continued with 10-ft (3.05 m) runs and excellent core recovery (100.02%) to 750 ft (228.60 m). During drilling from 750 to 760 ft (228.60-231.65 m), the drillers reported hitting a lithified interval that mushroomed the shoe. The core barrel was wedged in the drill string and the rods were pulled to 315 ft (96.01 m) in the afternoon.
On 27 July, the remaining rods were pulled and 8.5 ft (2.59 m) of solid core was removed from the stuck core barrel. While reentering the hole, the rods would not advance below ~543 ft (165.51 m), encountering a bridge, perhaps caused by the swelling of clays. After coring a few feet of caving at 543 ft (165.51 m), the rods were deflected and we began to core fresh sediment in a new hole that subparalleled the first hole. We needed to redrill and recore the entire section from 543 to 759 ft (165.51 to 231.34 m). We designated the second hole as Hole B. Hole A ended with 693.8 ft (211.47 m) recovered out of 759 ft (231.34 m) cored (91.4% recovery). The first run in the new hole (Core 1) recovered mostly caved glauconitic clays, except for the bottom 1.05 ft (0.32 m) of solid core. The next core (Core 2) recovered 6.3 ft (1.92 m) of solid core; the BOH was measured at 550 ft (167.64 m). This 7.35-ft (2.24 m) interval represents the interval 543-550 ft (165.51-167.64 m) in Hole A. Thus, we drilled and recovered the section containing the latest Paleocene event in the second hole. The section from 559.1 to 559.4 ft (170.41-170.51 m) in Hole B contains convoluted bedding, corresponding to the interval from 559.2 to 560.0 ft (170.44-170.69 m) in Hole A. The day ended at 560 ft (170.69 m), with 16.8 ft (5.12 m) recovered out of 17 ft (5.18 m) cored in Hole B (99% recovery).
On 28 July, smooth coring yielded 69.95 ft (21.21 m) out of 70.0 ft drilled (21.34 m; 99.9% recovery), with the BOH at 630 ft (192.02 m). Of particular note is the second recovery of the K/T boundary within a single core barrel.
Overnight, the driller hung the rods 20 ft (6.10 m) from the BOH, as they had on previous days. On the morning of 29 July, the rods were difficult to turn at first. G. Cobbs concluded that the hole was grabbing the drill rods because of its deviation from vertical. If the hole had continued to grab, the target depth of 1200 ft (365.76 m) might not have been reached, so we decided to raise the rods back to 540 ft (164.59 m) and to try to re-enter Hole A. After successfully raising and lowering the rods, we reached the BOH at 630 ft (192.02 m), indicating that we had re-entered Hole B. While lowering the rods, we trimmed sticky clay between 550 and 630 ft (167.64 and 192.02 m), improving circulation, straightening the hole, and attaining zero mud pressure.
Coring resumed on 30 July in Hole B, with nearly complete recovery to 700 ft (213.36 m; 69.16 ft [21.08 m] was recovered out of 70.0 ft [21.34 m] cored [98.8% recovery]). The Navesink/Mount Laurel contact occurred at virtually the same depth in Hole B (651.2-651.3 ft [198.49-198.52 m]) as it did in Hole A (651.3 ft [198.52 m]). This suggests that the two holes are very close to each other (i.e., within a few feet) and that their deviation from vertical is minimal.
Coring was slower than usual in the morning of 31 July because of rain. After the rain stopped, we resumed bringing up approximately one core every hour. During run 21 (730-740 ft [222.5-225.55 m]), a hardground was encountered at 732 ft (223.11 m) that bent the shoe inward and gouged a groove in the lower portion (732-740 ft [223.11-225.55 m]) of that run. On the last run of the day a hardground was encountered at 761 ft (231.95 m). The drillers decided to stop and drill it in the morning.
No problems were encountered drilling to 830 ft (252.98 m) on 1 August, and 69.7 ft (21.24 m) was recovered out of 68.5 ft (20.88 m) cored (102% recovery).
On 2 August, the first run slipped out of the catcher and was lost (0.2-ft [0.06 m] recovery). Excellent recovery was obtained for the next three runs (840-870 ft [256.03-265.18 m]). At the end of run 35 (860-870 ft [262.13-265.18 m]), a water swivel blew, suspending operations for the rest of the day. The rods were hung 60 ft (18.29 m) from the BOH (810 ft [246.89 m]) to prevent swelling and sticking in the Woodbury Formation clays.
On 3 August, despite our best efforts, the rods remained stuck in the hole throughout the morning. We thinned the drilling mud with water to try to loosen the clays binding the drilling string. The drill rods were freed by 1430 and pulled to 650 ft (198.12 m) by the end of the day.
On 4 August, we pulled the rods to 540 ft (164.59 m) and re-reamed the section to the BOH, leaving the rods 30 ft (9.14 m) off the bottom overnight.
The rods had been tight every morning since we penetrated the Manasquan Formation and were tight again on 5 August when we resumed smooth coring in clays of the Woodbury Formation. The USGS WRD took samples at 881.0-881.6, 890.5-891.1, and 900.3-900.8 ft (268.53-268.71, 271.42-271.61, and 274.41-274.56 m). Core runs 36-39 attained >100% recovery. The inner core barrel failed to latch on core run 40, leaving 10 ft (3.05 m) of core in the hole. We ran the inner core barrel with a larger shoe, overrunning the core, jammed the core catcher to block the core from slipping, and attained 104% recovery. The day ended at 920 ft (280.42 m), with 52.0 ft (15.85 m) recovered out of 50 ft (15.24 m) cored (104% recovery).
Smooth coring continued on 6 August with full recovery on the first run. The second run (Core 42; 930.0-931.2 ft [283.46-283.83 m]) encountered a hard clay at the base and drilling stopped 1.2 ft (0.37 m) into the run. We ran a shorter shoe and drilled 2.7 ft (0.82 m) on the next run (Core 43; 931.2-933.9 ft [283.83-284.65 m]), recovering an indurated glauconite sand. We finished the 10-ft (3.05 m) interval with run 44B (933.9-940.0 ft [284.65-286.51 m]), with 10.47 ft (3.19 m) of recovery (105%). The next two runs (940-960 ft [286.51-292.61 m]) attained nearly 100% recovery even though we penetrated a wide range of sands, silts, and clays. The last run penetrated only 4.5 ft (1.37 m) through coarse sands. The day ended at 964.5 ft (293.98 m), with 43.17 ft (13.16 m) recovered out of 44.5 ft (13.56 m) cored (97.0% recovery).
On 7 August, we recovered 35.5 ft (10.82 m) out of 45 ft (13.72 m) cored (78% recovery). Actual recovery is somewhat higher because the sands were compacted. On the third run of the day (Core 50; 980-990 ft [298.70-301.75 m]), the shoe was bent when it penetrated a pyrite nodule that became lodged in the outer core barrel. The inner barrel was eventually freed by pulling up on the wireline, preventing having to pull the drill string.
Coring on 8 August was slow as a result of the presence of numerous gravel beds. These forced us to make runs shorter than the full 10 ft (3.05 m), because it was feared that the gravels might damage the shoe. As a result, only 40 ft (12.19 m) was cored to 1050 ft (320.04 m), with 24 ft (7.32 m) recovered (60% recovery).
On 9 August, we penetrated through the variable lithologies of the Magothy Formation into the more monotonous clays of the Bass River Formation. This enabled the drillers to take complete 10-ft (3.05 m) runs with good recovery. As a result, 45 ft (13.72 m) was cored with 41 ft (12.50 m) of recovery (91.1%). At 1082.5 ft (329.95 m), a hardground was encountered, forcing us to break the interval from 1080 to 1090 ft (329.18-332.23 m) into two runs. On the next run, another indurated zone was encountered at 1095 ft (333.76 m), terminating drilling for the day.
On 10 August, we changed to a short shoe and cored 0.3 ft (0.09 m) of siltstone and 4.7 ft (1.43 m) of silty clay on run 65 (1095-1100 ft [333.76-335.28 m]). Run 66 (1100.0-1107.5 ft [335.28-337.57 m]) was terminated 7.5 ft (2.29 m) into the run by another hard layer. We recovered 8.85 ft (2.70 m) from the next run (1107.5-1117.5 ft [33.57-340.61 m]), leaving 1.6 ft (0.49 m) in the hole. On the next run (1117.5-1120.0 ft [340.61-341.38 m]), we recovered 4.2 ft (1.28 m), picking up the 1.6 ft (0.49 m) previously left in the hole. This 1.6 ft (0.49 m) has a narrower diameter as a result of recoring. The section was top justified at 1116 ft (340.16 m), yielding full recovery (104%) for both runs. Smooth coring continued until a hardground was encountered at 1132 ft (345.03 m). Run 70 recovered 1.8 ft (0.55 m), whereas run 71 recovered 9 ft (2.74 m) for a total of 10.8 ft (3.29 m) from the interval 1130-1140 ft (344.42-347.47 m); the depth of run 71 should be adjusted to a top of 1131.8 ft (344.97 m). The day ended at 1140 ft (347.47 m), with 47.25 ft (14.40 m) recovered out of 45 ft (13.72 m) cored (105% recovery).
On 11 August, the first run (72) stopped at a hard layer at 1146 ft (349.30 m). The next run recovered 4 ft (1.22 m) and lost 0.8 ft (0.24 m) from the bottom. Run 74 also stopped at a hard layer at 1157 ft (352.65 m). The next run (1157-1161 ft [352.65-353.87 m]) lost 0.7 ft (0.21 m) from the bottom as the sands were washed away. Our plan was to drill 20-30 ft (6.10-9.14 m) into the Potomac Group sands so that we could log the contact with the overlying Bass River Formation; this objective was attained on run 76 (1161-1170 ft [353.87-356.62 m]) and Hole B was terminated. The NJGS logger, J. Curran, arrived and obtained a gamma-ray log through the rods. The gamma-ray log obtained was checked and calibrated to depth on site. Log quality was excellent, with major deflections at contacts where previous studies had shown gamma-ray increases (e.g., the Navesink/Mount Laurel contact). Therefore, it was decided not to log directly on formation.
The rods were pulled on 12 August and scientific operations ceased. The drillers returned on 17 August, removed the casing, grouted the hole with Benseal, and finished clean-up operations.
The Ancora borehole was the highest recovery borehole drilled to date in the New Jersey Coastal Plain. Hole A recovered 693.82 ft (211.48 m) out of 759 ft (231.34 m) cored (91.4% recovery), whereas Hole B recovered 591.48 ft (180.28 m) out of 627 ft (191.11 m) cored (94.3% recovery). The total recovery (1285.31 ft [391.76 m] recovered out of 1386 ft [422.45 m] cored) of 92.7% is remarkable.
Lithologies were described on site and subsequently at the Rutgers University core facility. These descriptions formed the basis for the preliminary lithologic descriptions. Samples were obtained at ~5-ft (1.52 m) intervals for planktonic foraminifer and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and coarse-fraction lithologic studies. Cores were cut into 2-ft sections, labeled at the top and bottom of each section, placed into split PVC pipe (3-in [7.6 cm] diameter), wrapped in plastic sheeting, and stored in 2-ft (0.61 m) wax boxes. Seventy-nine Hole A and 72 Hole B boxes were moved to permanent storage at the Rutgers University core library for further studies.
