Our capabilities

GeoDiscovery has capabilities across ice and sediment drilling systems, core analysis and research vessels.

Ice and sediment drilling system

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and GNS Science have developed a new ice and sediment drilling system. A hot water drill system first melts a hole through floating ice, then the purpose-built light-weight sediment coring system is used to drill into the sea floor.

CapabilityGeodiscovery — 3D concept diagram of the drill system operating through the ice shelf. The drilling system must drill through around 1000 metres of ice, pass through the ocean cavity (withstanding currents and salinity), and then accurately sample sediments in the sea floor below the ice

Otago Repository for Core Analysis

Otago University geological core scanner facility acquires high-resolution geochemical and image data from split drill cores, wet sediments and discrete samples.

Research Vessels

NIWA’s Research Vessel Tangaroa is equipped for ocean science and provides drilling site survey data, multibeam bathymetry coverage, and piston coring capability throughout the South Pacific and Southern Ocean.

Other smaller research vessel including the RV Kaharoa and RV Polaris are capable of working in near shore and coastal waters.