Oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios of N. pachyderma (s) from Pleistocene and latest Pliocene sediments from Holes 1096B and 1101A appear to be primary, representing the isotopic composition of the shallow Antarctic water mass. They are widely spaced in time, so do not provide a detailed description of variation through any glacial cycle, but do represent both glacial and interglacial conditions, and therefore point to the potential for detailed sampling and analysis at these sites. The measured samples are more numerous back to 1.6 Ma, but shipboard observations of carbonate preservation suggest that such potential extends back to 2.1 Ma.