IODP cores - physical samples drilled from the seafloor - are stored and curated at core repositories funded by the platform providers. Cores are assigned to specific repositories based on their ocean of origin as shown below. After the expedition moratorium period, core samples may be requested for scientific research. A Curatorial Advisory Board makes final decisions regarding distribution of IODP samples.
| For more information on the repositories, contact the curator. Bremen Core Repository – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Gulf Coast Repository – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Rutgers/NJGS Repository – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Kochi Core Center – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Geographic Assignment of Core Samples to Repositories
| Repository | Institution | Amount of Core | Program(s) Generating Core | Geographic Location |
| GCR | Texas A&M University | 152 km | DSDP, ODP, and IODP | Pacific (Pacific plate east of western boundary); Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico; Southern Oceans (S of 60º except Kerguelan Plateau) |
| BCR | University of Bremen | 192 km | DSDP, ODP, and IODP | Atlantic and Arctic Oceans (north of Bering Strait); Mediterranean, Black, and Baltic Seas |
| KCC | Kochi University / JAMSTEC | 149 km | DSDP, ODP, and IODP | Pacific (west of western boundary of Pacific plate); Indian Ocean (N of 60ºS), all of Kerguelan Plateau, and the Bering Sea |
| Rutgers/NJGS | Rutgers / NJGS | 4.1 km | ODP Leg 150X & 174AX | Land-based New Jersey and Delaware cores |
DSDP: Deep Sea Drilling Program ODP: Ocean Drilling Program IODP: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program / International Ocean Discovery Program
U. Röhl adapted from Firth, JV, Gupta, LP and Röhl, U (2009) New focus on the Tales of the Earth - Legacy Cores Redistribution Project Completed. Scientific Drilling, 7. 31-33. doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.7.03.2009. [Map Mar 15, 2016]. Retrieved from http://www.marum.de/en/Cores_at_BCR.html
Project Mohole
Samples from Project Mohole are stored in the Geological Collections at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The collections include about 40 meters of core, as well as ship logs. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has some basaltic samples from Project Mohole. For more information about accessing Project Mohole samples, contact the respective repositories.
