Drilling Overdeepened Alpine Valleys (DOVE): The Tannwald core

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Frank Preusser
• Subject Area: Geology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450654078

Overdeepened structures occur in areas formerly affected by glaciations in the past. As they reach below the fluvial base level, they are interpreted as presumably have formed by pressurized subglacial meltwater. The sedimentary fill of overdeepened structures are excellent archives of the environmental and glaciation history but have received relatively little scientific attention so far. DOVE (Drilling Overdeepened alpine Valleys) is a project within the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) that was initiated in 2021. The aim of the project is to investigate several complementary sites along the foreland of the entire Alps, to ultimately provide a comprehensive picture of the distribution, geometry, and age of overdeepened structures. DOVE Phase-1 focusses on the northern foreland where seven drill sites have been selected based on the complexity of the sedimentary infill, as known from previous boreholes and geophysical data. The focus of the present project is the site of Tannwald, situated north of Lake Constance, that was cored in 2021. The core is investigated with the PhD project of Bennet Schuster, who also focusses on the nature and specific facies of diamicts from all DOVE sites. Requested here is a three month extension of funding as substantial delays in the coring operations have cut the time for data production, analyses, and interpretation below a critical trash-hold.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Flavio Anselmetti