Rock drilling capability

RRS Sir David Attenborough can deploy a number of rock drills, including those in the British Geological Survey’s sampling equipment pool.

Rockdrills are portable seafloor drills deployed from the stern or sides of the ship. They can sample tens of metres soft sediment and rock in water several thousand metres deep. One example is the British Geological Survey’s ‘RD2’ system which can core up to 55m below the seabed in a maximum of 4,000m of water. The system can continuously core in 1.7m sections and can be fitted with additional sensors such as gas-flow meters.

Dr Rob Larter presents on the potential uses of the BGS RD2 rock drill and the giant piston corer on RRS Sir David Attenborough