Gulf Coast Repository - GCR

06/02/2026

Yesterday was National Day! 🦖 Here at the GCR, we have scores of cores that show important events in Earth’s history. Among these include the Cretaceous/ Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary at the Chicxulub impact crater ☄️. The K-Pg boundary event is associated with the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago! Scientists discovered traces of iridium 🪨, which is a common mineral in asteroids, in the sediment suggesting that the boundary event is the result of a large asteroid impact. Expedition 364 ⛴️ explored the Chicxulub crater and discovered the impact it had on the world and our dinosaur friends! As seen here, this core section shows clear evidence of sediment deposited from the aftermath of the asteroid impact.

Fun Fact: The Chicxulub impact crater is the only known terrestrial impact structure that has been directly linked to a mass extinction event.

Tell us in the comments! What is your favorite dinosaur? 🦕

05/29/2026

Our very first GCR user spotlight features Anuska Pudasaini, a PhD Candidate at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston.
Anuska spent the past few days at GCR analyzing grain sizes of sediments from Antarctic cores using our Bettersizer S3 Plus Particle Size and Shape Analyzer.

05/27/2026

🔬 Instrument Spotlight: Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectrometry

The ICP-OES nebulizes the sample into a super hot plasma and measures the light emitted by elements to figure out their concentration.

This helps us understand the overall chemical makeup of things like seawater or sediments!

Used to analyze everything from major elements to trace metals 🌊

No lab equipment? Send us your samples and we’ll handle prep + analysis.

05/20/2026

🔬 Instrument Spotlight: Coulometer 🔬

This fun instrument measures carbonate concentration in a variety of samples!

🧪 How it works: Hydrochloric acid reacts with the sample to release carbon dioxide gas and the coulometer uses an electrochemical reaction to figure out how much effort it takes to cancel out the CO2 released from the sample.

🌊 This can be useful to scientists who want to reconstruct past ocean conditions or analyze present ones!

No lab equipment? Send us your samples and we’ll handle prep + analysis.

05/18/2026

Have you ever wondered how microbiology samples were taken on the Joides Resolution?

Check out .bsky.social on Exp 400 discuss at sea and how ancient DNA links organisms to changes in sea ice, climate and the ocean.

📽️ Watch Here:

The field of sedimentary ancient DNA, which studies ancient genetic signals preserved in sediments, allows us to reveal ecosystem-wide responses to past envi...

05/15/2026

Do you want to work with scientific ocean drilling samples or data and are unsure where to start?

Is the sheer volume of data and reports proving difficult to sift through?

Then this post is for YOU!

WHERE ARE THE CORES STORED?

All cores from the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), and International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) are stored in three repositories in the U.S., Germany, and Japan, based on the geographic location of the drill site. https://gcr.tamu.edu/curation/repositories.html



HOW DO I REQUEST SAMPLES?

Samples from DSDP, ODP, and IODP cores can be requested by scientists and education and outreach professionals. There is a single request system, regardless of which repository the material will come from. Visiting the repository is not a requirement to obtain samples. https://gcr.tamu.edu/curation/index.html



CAN I SEND MY SAMPLES TO THE GCR?

Yes! The GCR laboratories specialize in analyzing geologic cores and discrete samples (sediments, waters, rocks), however we can analyze non-geologic materials (i.e. metals, composite materials, etc.) as well. The GCR regularly works with researchers of varied backgrounds analyzing samples not only from scientific ocean drilling expeditions but from a wide variety of other projects. https://gcr.tamu.edu/labs/labs_services.html



WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD DATA?

Shipboard data is freely available for all DSDP, ODP, and IODP legs/expeditions, including high-resolution images of cores. https://gcr.tamu.edu/datapubs/data.html

Reports (proceedings) from each expedition are also available and summarize the scientific and engineering results. https://gcr.tamu.edu/datapubs/publications.html

This interactive PDF offers a further overview on how to access cores, publications, and data.https://gcr.tamu.edu/_assets/SOD_Core_and_Data_Access.pdf

05/13/2026

This core from ODP Leg 139 comes from a massive sulfide deposit in the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Chemical reactions within the sediments continued years after the core was collected and stored at the GCR, to the precipitation of these needle-like crystals . This shows that chemical processes that drive our understanding of the Earth's history aren't just limited in-situ environments, they continue to operate long after the sediments have been collected from an ocean drilling site!

05/07/2026

🔬 Instrument Spotlight: Bead Maker 🔬

Want to uncover the elements and trace metals in your sediment sample using ICP-OES?

Meet our bead maker! A key step in preparing samples for ICP-OES. This instrument fuses powdered sediment with flux at high temperatures to create a smooth, homogeneous glass bead which is then dissolved in nitric acid!

Don’t have access to specialized prep equipment like this? We’ve got you covered! At the GCR, we can handle everything from preparation to analysis, delivering high-quality data without the need for in-house instrumentation.

🧪 Curious about what your samples might reveal? Reach out and let us help unlock the story in your sediments.

04/29/2026

The Scientific Ocean Drilling Department (SODCO & GCR) visited the Klein ISD Girls in STEM Day to share microfossils and sediments in the Explore Room!

04/28/2026

Join the National Academies tomorrow, April 29 at 1:00–2:00 PM ET for a report release webinar on the potential functions and design of a new Center for Paleoenvironmental Records of Extreme Events (CPREE).

Coauthored by GCR Curator, Michelle Penkrot, the report discusses how paleoenvironmental data can support research on extreme events, explore existing resources, and key considerations for establishing a new center.

Register now: https://events.nationalacademies.org/46602