Site U1463: Expedition 356

Abstract

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1463 is ~150 m from the Picard-1 industry well (141 m water depth) on a flat outer ramp region. The site is 100 km southwest of IODP Site U1464. The seabed in the region is poorly sorted carbonate-rich (>90%) sediment made up of bioclastic gravel, sand, and mud. The wireline gamma ray log data from the Picard-1 Well reveals high variability and an upward reduction that is interpreted to be related to subsidence, glacioeustatic fluctuations, and climate variability from the Pliocene to recent. The primary aim of coring Site U1463 was to obtain a Pliocene–Pleistocene tropical–subtropical carbonate record that will allow us to determine the subsidence, interglacial Australian monsoon, and tropical shelf-edge oceanographic histories of the region. An additional objective was to date a distinctive irregular seismic reflector postulated to be of Miocene age. Improving the age constraints on this feature will enhance regional seismic interpretations.