Ontong Java Plateau, the largest oceanic plateau, has played a key role in the tectonics of the Ring of Fire. Volcanic ash that fell on the plateau has the potential to test competing ideas about how plates change their motion and to record ancient wind systems. Previous scientific ocean drilling drilled cores on the plateau, but the ashes have not been analysed. Expedition 504S will sample archived cores, analyse the ash, and compare it with volcanic rocks from the nearby Solomon Islands.

IODP³ Expedition 506S will integrate sediment core data from key North Atlantic drill sites, aligning records to build a regional climate history. The team will develop advanced computational tools for signal alignment and image analysis, improving correlations of past climatic shifts. The expedition will also create user-friendly resources to train new paleoclimate researchers, and all data and methods will be shared openly.