Coring Technology to be applied in IODP NanTroSEIZE

JAMSTEC/CDEX has started the first drilling operation of CHIKYU for the Nankai Trough Seizmogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) at offshore Kumanonada conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) in September 2007. The majority of coring objectives principally involve that of "continuous" wireline coring operations. The word "continuous" is used in the context that entire geologic formation sequences (typically thousands of meters of formation) are to be cored rather than spot cored (short interval coring sequence followed by conventional drilling operations). Therefore, the principal objectives are to maintain as high core recovery rate as possible, and to recover as much of the geologic formation sequence as possible at each site occupied. This paper describes the present status of the coring in IODP NanTroSEIZE.