This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| ODP Site 738 | |
|---|---|
| Name | ODP Site 738 |
| Location | Prydz Bay, East Antarctica |
| Expedition | Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119 |
| Water depth | 735 m |
| Drilled | 1987–1988 |
| Coordinates | 69°35'S, 77°55'E |
ODP Site 738 is a deep-sea drilling locality sampled during the Ocean Drilling Program expedition in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica. The site yielded a continuous Cenozoic to Neogene sedimentary record that has been central to reconstructions of Antarctic glaciation, Southern Ocean circulation, and global climatic events. Results from the site have informed interpretations of Antarctic ice-sheet history, paleoproductivity, and paleoceanographic change.
ODP Site 738 sits in Prydz Bay, off the coast of East Antarctica, proximate to the Prince Charles Mountains, the Amery Ice Shelf, and the Ingrid Christensen Coast. The locality is situated within the continental shelf/slope system influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, where interactions among the Southern Ocean, Weddell Sea, and Ross Sea sectors control sediment delivery from glacial, glaciofluvial, and biogenic sources. Regional tectonic context links to the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains and East Antarctic Shield, while paleogeographic reconstructions connect to the breakup of Gondwana, the opening of the Tasman Gateway, and the history of the Scotia Arc.
The site was drilled during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 119 using the drillship JOIDES Resolution under coordination with the International Marine Organization, with onboard teams from institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, British Antarctic Survey, and University of Tokyo. Standard piston coring, extended core barrel coring, and advanced logging while drilling provided continuous stratigraphic recovery. Analytical workflows combined micropaleontology, smear-slide analysis, X-ray diffraction, and paleomagnetic measurements undertaken by laboratories affiliated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Alfred Wegener Institute, and University of California, alongside isotope ratio mass spectrometry at the Max Planck Institute.
Cores from the site display a succession of diamictites, glaciomarine muds, silty claystones, and biogenic oozes. Stratigraphic units correspond to glacial till, rhythmites from iceberg rafted debris, and diatom-rich intervals that mark shifts in depositional regimes. Correlation of lithostratigraphy has been undertaken against nearby seismic transects, shelf-core sites, and regional composite sections used in Antarctic stratigraphic frameworks developed by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the International Commission on Stratigraphy.
Microfossil assemblages recovered include diatoms, radiolarians, foraminifera, and calcareous nannofossils that permit biostratigraphic zonations tied to the Neogene and Paleogene. Taxa documented span genera recognized in Neogene Antarctic assemblages and are cross-referenced with bioevents used by researchers at the Natural History Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute, and Smithsonian Institution. Biostratigraphic markers at the site have been correlated with global events such as the Eocene–Oligocene transition, Miocene Climatic Optimum, and Pliocene warm intervals, enabling links to stratigraphic frameworks employed in International Ocean Discovery Program studies.
Geochemical analyses include stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon, bulk organic carbon content, and trace metal concentrations that inform on paleotemperature, ice volume, and productivity. Organic biomarker studies, including alkenone and GDGT distributions, have been applied by groups at the University of Bristol, Kyoto University, and ETH Zurich to reconstruct sea surface temperatures and sea-ice conditions. Neodymium isotopes and radiogenic tracers have been used to fingerprint provenance from Antarctic ice sheet erosion and to trace abyssal circulation changes associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Antarctic Bottom Water.
Age models for the site combine magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphic datums, and cyclostratigraphy calibrated to astronomical tuning frameworks developed by researchers affiliated with the University of Bern, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the European Space Agency. Radiometric tie points and paleomagnetic reversal stratigraphy have been integrated into composite age models that resolve Pleistocene glacial–interglacial cycles and longer-term Miocene–Paleogene transitions.
Findings from the site have advanced understanding of the timing and dynamics of Antarctic glaciation, documenting intensification episodes and links to global climatic shifts recognized in records from the North Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins. The record has been cited in studies concerning the role of gateway openings—such as the Drake Passage and Tasman Gateway—in promoting Antarctic glaciation, and in assessments of Southern Ocean biogeochemical responses during the Neogene. Work stemming from the site continues to inform models developed at institutions like the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Met Office Hadley Centre, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on ice-sheet stability, sea-level change, and past carbon cycle perturbations.
Category:Ocean Drilling Program sites Category:Antarctic geology Category:Paleoclimatology