We finished the drilling in the Barberton project at the start of May with completion of hole BARB5 in the Barite Valley. At this stage all our funds for the project were exhausted and we were required to cancel drilling of the final hole, which was planned to sample the silicified komatiites of the Mendon Formation. A complete list of holes and their depths is listed below.
BARB 1      total drilled:		420.0m
BARB 2                        		431.37
BARB 3                        		899.59
BARB 4                        		538.55
BARB 5                        		763.23

                            Total				  3052 m

Core recovery was excellent in all holes, typically better than 98%.  Downhole geophysics (acoustic and optical televiewer, magnetics, natural neutron spectrometry) was completed on hole BARB 3.

The core is now housed in facilities on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand. Cutting, photography and logging are complete for two holes, BARB1 and BARB4 and the logs of these two holes will soon be published on our ICDP and South African websites.  For the other holes, the logging and photography will be terminated by September. 

At that stage we will publish comprehensive summaries of the lithologies and structures sampled in each hole, and will open a call for proposals to work on the core. This call is open to all scientists and students interested in working on the core, but priority will be given to individuals or groups that have been directly involved with the drilling or from countries that provided financial support for the project. Decisions concerning the distribution of core and the research to be done will be made by the steering committee. 

A workshop to discuss the results of the project and the distribution of core will take place in Johannesburg, probably in the latter part of February 2013. A short trip to the Barberton belt to visit the drilling sites and see something of Barberton geology will also be arranged, if there is sufficient interest. In addition, a special session on the drilling project is planned for the EGU meeting in Vienna from 8-12 April 2013.