The buried Chicxulub impact crater on the Yucatan Penninsula in Mexico is scientifically important because of its great size (>200 km), its excellent preservation state, and its link to the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) has agreed to provide funds to drill and continuously core a 2.5 - 3 km hole in the crater, assist in initial core documentation operations, and conduct a basic logging program. There are three Principal Investigators for the Chicxulub Scientific Drilling Project (CSDP) - two Mexican scientists and the author of this proposal, Virgil Sharpton.
This award provides funding for the development of a science program with U.S. participation. Specifically, funds will be used to: 1) assemble members of the Science Team through a call for short proposals in Eos and GSA Today; 2) meet with other PIs, Co-PIs, and representatives from other relevant institutions and agencies to plan and implement a science plan; and 3) prepare the proposers' effort in CSDP by continuing analysis of existing samples from the Mexican-led campaign of shallow coring along the southern flank of the Chicxulub basin. ***
