The cores provide a record for the period from 17 to 34 Ma ago and show

	this sector of East Antarctica had a sub-polar climate with tundra-like vegetation from 34 to 25 Ma. During this time temperate glaciers from the mountains and possibly an inland ice sheet were regularly releasing ice bergs to the Ross Sea
	the period from 24 to 17 Ma was cooler with periods of more extensive grounded ice
	the present phase of volcanism in the McMurdo Sound region began around 24 Ma
	the Transantarctic Mountains had achieved most of their present height by 34 Ma.
	most subsidence in the Victoria Land basin took place from 34 to 17 Ma ago

The aim of the project was to investigate the early history of the East Antarctic ice sheet and the West Antarctic Rift System by taking a continuous core through strata beneath the sea floor off Cape Roberts. Three holes, CRP-1, -2 and -3,were needed to core the entire thickness.

We have now completed coring a sedimentary succession 1500 m thick, dating from 34 to 17 Ma, and into the bedrock beneath. Initial findings have already added much, and are challenging past thinking (see below). More is expected from further analysis in the next few years. Abstracts of the Initial Report for each site and a list of contents for each Scientific Report are listed on the FTP page.

CRP-1 in 1997 was cut short by an early break-up in the sea ice but despite only 150 metres of core being recovered, a number of significant scientific findings were made:

	the upper 43 metres was mostly young (last 2 million years) glacial debris, but a shelly layer 30 to 32 metres below the sea floor and only 1.2 million years old. The rich and varied calcareous and siliceous fossils indicates a somewhat warmer climate at that time.
	the strata beneath the Quaternary beds, and the youngest strata of the Cape Roberts sequence (V3 in diagram below) were 10 million years younger than expected, indicating the need for a major review of the Victoria Land Basin stratigraphy.
	the period from 17 to c.19 million years ago (not before recorded from the Victoria Land Basin) was characterised by numerous variations in extent of the ice margin and of sea level but climate was significantly warmer than today.
	many new species of microfossils, notably diatoms and dinoflagellates were found, with potential for significant advances in biostratigraphy.

CRP-2 (and 2A, a continuation below 57 mbsf) in 1998 drilled to 624 m. The upper strata overlapped with the oldest strata by about 30 m. Significant findings include:

	a stratal record that extends from 19 to 31 million years
	patterns in the strata (glacial debris, sandstone, mudstone) that record 22 cycles of glacial advance and retreat. This record is known to have many time breaks, but establishes the style of deposition and the nature of the ice margin in these times
	volcanic ash layers at 280, 193 and 114 mbsf, which provide (along with Sr isotopic ages, microfossil datums and magnetostratigraphy) good chronology for the core from 19 to 24 million years.
	Aspectacular volcanic ash layer 1.2 metre thick from a depth of 114 metres and dated at 21.44+ 0.05 million years. The thickness of the layer and size of the debris (up to 1 cm) suggests a very large volume eruption within 100 km of the drill. Volcanologists believe that such an eruption would have blasted an ash cloud 50 to 70 km into the stratosphere.
	The strata older than 24 million years have plant microfossils indicating a low scrubby woodland - microfossils in younger strata indicate only tundra

CRP-3 in 1999 was drilled to 939 mbsf, the upper strata being considered just slightly older than the lowest in CRP-2A. Significant findings include:

	Core of the oldest sedimentary strata in the basin (a sandstone breccia a few tens of cm thick resting on Devonian (c. 350 million-year-old) quartz sandstone, and interpreted as terrestrial talus)
	A record of cold climate from scarce remains of low scrub or closed forest in strata from c.34 to 31 million years old
	A record of erosion of Beacon sandstone and dolerite from the higher part of the adjacent Transantarctic Mountains, though granitic clasts in the oldest Cenozoic strata indicate that the mountains were high and basement rocks already exposed by the time deposition had begun.
	A vertical displacement of around 3000 metres across the Transantarctic Mountain Front by down-to-the-east faulting by Cape Roberts.

In summary, the CRP cores provide a 1500 metre record of climate and mountain/basin history for the period from 17 to 34 Ma ago. They show that:

	this sector of East Antarctica had a cool temperate to periglacial climate with a low woodland vegetation from 34 to 24 Ma. During this time mountain glaciers and possibly inland ice sheets were releasing icebergs to the Ross Sea. The period from 24 to 17 Ma was cooler, allowing a low-growing sparse tundra on the adjacent mountains, along with periods of more extensive grounded ice, and that
	the Transantarctic Mountains had achieved most of their present height by 34 Ma, whereas most subsidence in the adjacent Victoria Land Basin took place from 34 to 29 Ma ago, though with some continuing until around 17 Ma ago.

Detailed results from individual drill holes are being published as issues of the journal Terra Antartica with the following dates: CRP- 1 Initial Report (1998) & Scientific Report (1998), CRP-2/2A Initial Report (1999) & Scientific Report (2000) and CRP-3 Initial Report (2000) and Scientific Report (2001). Core logs on a scale of 1:20 and scanned core box images are published as supplements to the Initial Reports.

Drilling statistics for the Cape Roberts holes