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| USGS Coastal Carolina Project 2004 - Hope Plantation |
Drilling began 3/12/2004 and was completed 4/18/2004.
The Carolina Continental Margin Drilling Program has a prioritized list of drill locations where geologic, stratigraphic, and hydrologic data are needed. The Hope Plantation drill site is one of those locations. The Eastern Earth Surface Process Team will be drilling a deep stratigraphic corehole at this site.
A significant aspect of this particular drilling project will be the collection of continuous core at depth. The first drilling sequence will be conducted using a HQ rod (2 1/2") size drill bit to a targeted depth of about 900 feet. At the 900 ft depth, drilling will be shut down for about a week while the crew exchanges the drill bit for a NQ rod (1 7/8") size drill bit. If time and circumstances permit the drilling may continue the following week; an attempt will be made to drill to basement.
| Day | Date | Activity | Photos (1) | Run (2) | Total Depth (in ft.) |
Aquifer (3) | Geologic Unit (4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| These data are provisional, have not been reviewed, and are subject to change. | |||||||
| 1 | 3/8/04 Monday |
Drill rig and core recovery equipment packed and loaded | |||||
| 2 | 3/9/04 Tuesday |
Drill rig and core recovery specialists depart from Reston Freezing temperatures at drill site; snow possible |
 Hope Plantation |
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| 3 | 3/10/04 Wednesday |
Set up for drilling |  Drill rig |
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| 4 | 3/11/04 Thursday |
Obtained clearance to drill at 4:30PM |  Drill site |
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| 5 | 3/12/04 Friday |
Well was spudded in at 8:00; Drilling began at 8:30 AM |  Drilling |
10 | 40 | Yorktown Confining Unit | Chowan River Formation |
| 6 | 3/13/04 Saturday |
Coachman, Bladen, and type section of Donoho Creek geologic units are missing Unconformity at 114 and 118.3 feet |
 shelly section |
19 | 120 | Beaufort Aquifer | unnamed Cretaceous unit |
| 7 | 3/14/04 Sunday |
Reached the top of the Cape Fear Formation at 188 feet Rain, cold wind |
 core from Cape Fear |
29 | 200 | Upper Cape Fear Confinging Unit | Cape Fear Formation |
| 8 | 3/15/04 Monday |
Good core recovery (70ft) - both quality and quantity More cold drizzlely rain |
 Drilling in rain |
37 | 270 | Upper Cape Fear Aquifer | Cape Fear Formation |
| 9 | 3/16/04 Tuesday |
Drilling stopped early due to approaching thunderstorms |  Core, base of Cape Fear |
41 | 300 | Upper Cape Fear Aquifer | Cape Fear Formation |
| 10 | 3/17/04 Wednesday |
Cold, damp, drizzle in non-marine zone IV at 329 ft |
 loaded core barrel |
49 | 363 | Lower Cape Fear Confining Unit | Cape Fear Formation |
| 11 | 3/18/04 Thursday |
non-marine zone IV? |  washing core |
55 | 420 | Lower Cape Fear Confining Unit | Cape Fear Formation |
| 12 | 3/19/04 Friday |
Ran borehole geophysics in Strat hole | 62 | 490 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Cape Fear Formation | |
| 13 | 3/20/04 Saturday |
Peter Malin visited the site and brought his geophysical seismic device for review |  Peter Malin |
67 | 540 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Cape Fear Formation |
| 14 | 3/21/04 Sunday |
Good recovery, lot of core marine zone IV(?) begins at 572 ft |
 describing core |
600 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian | |
| 15 | 3/22/04 Monday |
Recovery 93% Drilling has slowed considerably in these fine uniform clean tight sands Record low temperatures (24-29°) predicted overnight. |
 shell cast |
78 | 646.5 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian |
| 16 | 3/23/04 Tuesday |
82 | 660 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian | ||
| 17 | 3/24/04 Wednesday |
Sample show nannofossils - definitely marine Not drilling deeper; collecting borehole geophysics |
 changing bit |
83 | 670 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian |
| 18 | 3/25/04 Thursday |
Logging and storing core; securing site |  securing site |
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| 19 | 3/26/04 Friday |
Obtaining GPS elevation data |  obtaining elevation |
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| No drilling from Saturday, 3/27/04, to Wednesday, 3/31/04 | |||||||
| 20 | 4/1/04 Thursday |
Re-established drill site | |||||
| 21 | 4/2/04 Friday |
Returned to 470' inside the same drill hole |  Second round |
Rtnd. to 470 | |||
| 22 | 4/3/04 Saturday |
Re-established hole |  Logging core |
85 | 680 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian |
| 23 | 4/4/04 Sunday |
70' drilled Age, range CC9-CC13 (Cenomanian-Turonian) |
 Preparing slides |
93 | 750 | "Potomac Group" Confining Unit | Marine Cenomanian |
| 24 | 4/5/04 Monday |
Entered Potomac (lower Cretaceous) at 759 ft |  Core sample |
100 | 800 | "Upper Potomac Group" Aquifer | Potomac Group |
| 25 | 4/6/04 Tuesday |
no coring | 101 | 810 | "Upper Potomac Group" Aquifer | Potomac Group | |
| 26 | 4/7/04 Wednesday |
went through a tight clay below the "Upper Potomac" Aquifer |  Core from aquifer |
104 | 840 | "Upper Potomac Group" Aquifer | Potomac Group |
| 27 | 4/8/04 Thursday |
collected Strontium samples (ECU) | 108 | 875 | "Lower Potomac Group" Aquifer | Potomac Group | |
| 28 | 4/9/04 Friday |
46 ft drilled; good progress considering depth cobbles common 878-901 feet |
 Rescued wildlife |
114 | 921.5 | "Potomac Group" silts and clays | Potomac Group |
| 29 | 4/10/04 Saturday |
fighting clay |  Paleosol |
118 | 950 | "Potomac Group" silts and clays | Potomac Group |
| 30 | 4/11/04 Sunday |
consultation between project geologist, stratigrapher, hydrologist, and paleontologist regarding formation breaks |  Discussion group |
123 | 973 | "Potomac Group" silts and clays | Potomac Group |
| 31 | 4/12/04 Monday |
drilling in the rain |  Borehole geophysics |
125 | 985 | "Potomac Group" silts and clays | Potomac Group |
| 32 | 4/13/04 Tuesday |
Fossilized root in paleosol zone |  Fossilized root |
131 | 1021 | "Potomac Group" silts and clays | Potomac Group |
| 33 | 4/14/04 Wednesday |
spent the day chasing a rock down the borehole |  The rock |
133 | 1032 | Triassic Basin rock | Chatham Group |
| 34 | 4/15/04 Thursday |
Recovered the second rock that had been blocking the entrance to the core barrel |  Second rock |
136 | 1045 | Triassic Basin rock | Chatham Group |
| 35 | 4/16/04 Friday |
Passed through weathering zone on top of Triassic at 1052ft. |  collecting logs |
140 | 1063 | Triassic Basin rock | Chatham Group |
| 36 | 4/17/04 Saturday |
Drove 65 of the 99 boxes of core to NCGS in Raleigh for storage |  core |
144 | 1090 | Triassic Basin rock | Chatham Group |
| 37 | 4/18/04 Sunday |
Reached basement |  discussion |
145 | 1094.5 | Triassic Basin rock | Chatham Group |
| 38 | 4/19/04 Monday |
the drilling crew is begining the abandonment of the corehole |  cementing corehole |
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| 39 | 4/20/04 Tuesday |
abandonment continues | |||||
| 40 | 4/21/04 Wednesday |
site restoration | |||||
| 6/15/04 Wednesday |
returned to site to install piezometer |  drilling |
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1 The complete set of drilling photos are available on the 2004 Hope Plantation Photos Page.
2 Run indicates the cumulative number of runs completed at the end of each day; a run represents the number of times the core barrel has retrieved a core sample
3 Aquifer indicates the deepest aquifer/confining unit reached during the day's drilling; aquifer names are provisional, subject to approval
4 Geologic Unit indicates the deepest geologic unit reached in the day's drilling; these geologic names are provisional and have not yet been reviewed for conformity with the North American Stratigraphic Code.