Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling: The Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition
Project Acronym: GRIND| State: Completed | Expedition ID: 5064
The Neoproterozoic Era (1000 - 541 Ma) is one of the most dramatic in Earth history: metazoans evolved, the supercontinent Rodinia formed and broke apart, the global carbon cycle underwent high-amplitude fluctuations, oxygen concentrations rose and climate experienced at least two episodes of worldwide glaciation.
The specific targets of this project are the Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition (ECT; c. 560-530 Ma) strata of west Brazil (Corumbá Group), south China (Doushantuo, Dengying and equivalent formations) and south Namibia (Nama Group). Our objective is to create a core network of correlative ECT strata that will enable constructing a highly resolved, temporally constrained geobiological, stratigraphic and geochemical database, as well as provide a legacy archive for future research. The goal is to understand the drivers of the Neoproterozoic Earth system revolution.
Keywords: Africa, Asia, South America, Namibia, China, Brazil, Cambrian Explosion, ECT, Ediacaran, Evolution, Neoproterozoic
Cores are stored at Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Spandau, Germany
Archive halves of Namibian cores are stored at Geological Survey Namibia, Core Shed Facility, Windhoek, Namibia
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Project Timeline
Moratorium Brazil
10 May 2023 - 09 May 2026
Sampling Party Brazil
08 May - 09 May 2023 in Berlin, Germany
Moratorium Namibia
14 September 2022 - 13 September 2025
Sampling Party Namibia
25 August - 13 September 2022 in Berlin, Germany
Drilling Brazil
20 May - 11 June 2022
Drilling Namibia 2
2 May - 13 June 2022
Drilling Namibia 1
23 September - 30 November 2019
Full Proposal Approved
First Full Proposal Submitted
Workshop Held
17 - 19 March 2014 in Nottingham, United Kingdom