International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin: Terrestrial Geological Records of the Cretaceous Dinosaur Age

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2024.1.4-en

Abstract

Abstract:

Over the past century global temperatures continue to rise, and the Earth may enter a greenhouse period in the future with no ice at the poles. The Cretaceous was a typical greenhouse period in deep time, and thus understanding the Cretaceous climate is significant for interpreting past climate changes and predicting future trends. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin is the world's first continental scientific drilling project to penetrate the Cretaceous continental strata within the framework of the ICDP. This project is aimed to investigate Cretaceous terrestrial climate and environmental changes, and to explore the mechanisms of massive terrestrial organic matter accumulation and enrichment. Spanning 16 years, this project achieves a continuous and complete 8187-meter core with a recovery rate exceeding 97%, establishes a high-precision chronostratigraphic framework for the Cretaceous continental strata in the Songliao Basin, reconstructs multi-temporal-scale terrestrial climate cycles and climate events during the Cretaceous period, reveals the mechanisms of Cretaceous sea-level fluctuations, and confirms marine incursion events in the Songliao Basin. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin has promoted global collaboration among geologists to study Cretaceous greenhouse climates, leading to a series of high-impact research achievements. It has provided crucial scientific support for the sustainable development of oil and gas exploration in the Songliao Basin, and has generated significant social benefits and substantial international and domestic influence. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin represents a milestone stage in exploring deep-time Earth, and it is foreseeable that in the future, humans will continue enhancing the understanding of deep-time climate and environmental evolution with the aid of scientific drilling.

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