Research Infrastructure: Mid-Scale RI-1 (M1:IP): Expanding Science Frontiers through Continental Drilling (ESF)

This award supports a new scientific drilling system that will enable frontier discoveries deep within Earth’s subsurface. The new drilling system will provide access to previously unobtainable samples of deep rock, fluids, and microbes through the boreholes drilled using specialized scientific drilling equipment. Research supported by this infrastructure will benefit society by advancing understanding of our planet’s changing surface environments, enhancing preparedness and resilience to natural hazards, and unleashing insights into the formation of novel, affordable, reliable, and secure energy and critical mineral resources. The project will coordinate workshops and provide traineeships for the next generation of a US geoscience workforce equipped with the skills needed for equipment design and drilling project leadership. These efforts will ensure continued US leadership of scientific drilling. The Expanding Science Frontiers scientific drilling system is designed to meet the needs for research involving deep drilling and coring at continental and nearshore marine localities, with flexibility to support the evolving needs of future campaigns. It will be developed, acquired, operationalized, maintained, and managed in close partnership with associated scientific drilling organizations. This flexible system is a vessel consisting of a floating platform, propulsion and position-keeping systems, accommodations, labs, office, power generation, specialized sediment coring tools, and other equipment—all modular and containerized for transport and assembly at remote lakes and nearshore marine sites. Components of the system can be used for projects at any location, whether onshore or offshore. This system will enable numerous, large US-led scientific drilling projects to make frontier discoveries of Earth’s systems, the life it supports, its history of natural hazards, processes of formation of its natural resources, and active geological, chemical, and biological processes deep below Earth’s surface. The research supported will address critical societal needs regarding preparedness and resilience to tectonic activity, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, ecosystem change and other natural hazards; the availability of water, energy and critical mineral resources; as well as deep geomicrobiological processes that underpin advances in biotechnology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.