Scientists set new world drilling-depth record of scientific ocean drilling

Scientific deep sea drilling vessel Chikyu has set a world new record by drilling down and obtaining rock samples from deeper than 2,111 meters below the seafloor off the Shimokita Peninsula of Japan.

Chikyu made this achievement during the Deep Coalbed Biosphere expedition, Expedition 337, conducted within the framework of an international marine research programme, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).

University of Birmingham scientist Dr Guy Harrington who has been on the ship since July dating the rocks using fossil pollen and spores, says, ''Among an array of results, this expedition is opening a fascinating window onto fossil forests now buried under 2km of rock. It's great to use my practical skills as a geologist to help support world-class research.''

''We have just opened a window to the new era of scientific ocean drilling'', says Fumio Inagaki, co-chief scientist of Expedition 337,  ''The extended record is just a beginning for the Chikyu. This scientific vessel has tremendous potential to explore very deep realms that humans have never studied before. The deep samples are precious, and I am confident that our challenges will extend our systematic understanding of nature, life and earth.''

Co-chief scientist Kai-Uwe Hinrichs from the University of Bremen in Germany, addd, ''I am very glad that I am here today and could witness this wonderful and important moment. Everybody on the ship worked really hard to make this happen. And, I am very pleased about the high quality of the core samples, which show only minimal drilling disturbance. This is very important for our research.''

Chikyu is the state-of-the-art scientific research vessel, capable of drilling as much as 10,000 metres below sea level. It is designed to reach the deeper part of the Earth such as the mantle, the plate boundary seisomogenic zones and the deep biosphere.