GLAD800

GLAD800 (Global Lake Drilling 800m) System

The GLAD800 was developed in response to a need to collect long cores from modern lakes. This system was designed in cooperation with the paleoclimate community and PAGES (Past Global Changes, International Geosphere Biosphere Programme) to satisfy their scientific requirements with an easily transported system that includes a drill rig and modular barge. The general configuration of the system consists of a modified Christensen CS-1500 diamond coring rig supported by a barge.

GLAD800 on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

The GLAD800 Rig Specifications are posted on this website. The system has the following characteristics.

The drill rig either can operate from different floatation systems or can be used on land as a typical diamond core rig; plans are underway to provide cantilevered installation on various mid- to large-size ships .
The barge can be anchored allowing it to be deployed in waters up to 200 m depth; when operated from a ship, anchoring or dynamic positioning are used.
Active heave compensation system underwent sea trials in November 2001 aboard the Woods Hole vessel R/V Knoor, and was used during a three-week drilling program in September-October 2002.
The rig will collect core of 6.2 cm diameter up to a depth of 800 m (water + sediment).

The GLAD800 system is a joint venture between the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and DOSECC. For more information concerning the system, please contact Dr. Dennis Nielson (dnielson@dosecc.org), or Dr. Ulrich Harms (ulrich@gfz-potsdam.de).

In the Spring of 2001, the DOSECC Board of Directors named the GLAD800 System the Research Vessel (R/V) Kerry Kelts, as a memorial to Dr. Kerry Kelts, who passed away earlier that year after a long illness. Kerry was a major proponent of the GLAD800 system and very active in the International Lake Drilling Community (PAGES).

Link to Geotimes article here.

Projects on which the GLAD800 system was used include the following

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