5.1 FAR-DEEP Core Archive and Database

Abstract

The collection of FAR-DEEP (Fennoscandian Arctic Russia Drilling Early Earth Project) cores includes material from 15 drill holes through 2,500–2,000 Ma sedimentary and volcanic successions in Russian Fennoscandia. Amounting to a total core length of 3,650 m, the recovered material provides one of the best available rock records for studying the major environmental upheavals during the early Palaeoproterozoic, and for assessing timing, causes and effects of the rise of atmospheric oxygen (Melezhik et al. 2010). The great scientific promise that the FAR-DEEP material holds for current and future studies of the Palaeoproterozoic Earth calls for a dedicated cataloguing system that facilitates an easy capture of generated technical, geological and geochemical data on the cores, and provides means for effective sharing of information among researchers. In order to make the unique material available for future studies, all cores and related documentation have been thoroughly archived in the core repository and the database, respectively. This archive is linked tightly to the user-friendly and Web-accessible database system serving as an essential gateway for exploring the full potential of the material.