Priority: 1 (Alternate to BT-3)
Position: 24°33.00'N; 79°19.05'W
Water depth: 620 m
Sediment thickness: >8000 m
Total penetration: 1300 mbsf (approved to a depth of 1500 mbsf)
Seismic Coverage: High-resolution MCS survey
Objectives: The objectives of BT-30 are to:
1. obtain material to produce a high-resolution isotope stratigraphy of the Neogene to Holocene for a correlation between sedimentary and isotopic record of sea-level changes;
2. obtain sedimentary record of the lower slope portions of the sequences;
3. refine the age of the sequence boundaries; and
4. reveal possible fluid flow through this portion of the margin.
Additional secondary objectives are to:
1. acquire a low-latitude record of the Paleogene;
2. determine the timing of the onset of the Florida current;
3. potentially sample the K/T boundary; and
4. assess the cause of the platform demise in the middle-Cretaceous.
Drilling program:
Hole A: APC/XCB to refusal.
Hole B: APC to refusal.
Hole C: Wash to XCB depth and RCB to a depth of 1300 m, if time permits.
Logging and downhole: ADARA heatflow measurements will be made on the first eight APC cores below Core 3 and one every third core thereafter. WSTP will be performed on every fifth XCB core. The hole will be logged using four logging strings (Quad-Combination, GLT, FMS, GHMT), and a VSP experiment will be performed
Nature of rock anticipated: Periplatform ooze occasionally mixed with coarser grained units.