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Abstract

In geosciences deep sampling of Earth´s continental crust and observations at depth are essential tools to gain new insight. Drilling, coring and instrumentation of boreholes serve to better understand the environmental and climate evolution of our planet, to shed light on the physical and chemical conditions leading to natural disasters and to search for novel, sustainable resources. Research programs such as the German KTB have utilized the instrument drilling successfully in order to address such goals. During the past decades the high costs of drilling as well as wide-ranging research topics led to the formation of international scientific drilling programs. Based on international cost sharing they address project-wise globally important overarching issues with comprehensive research teams. The ocean drilling programs established the understanding of plate tectonics and the change of global climates. Coordinated by the GFZ, the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, ICDP has with to date 30 research projects provided new understanding of the complex System Earth especially through lake sediment, fault zone and volcano drilling.