DeepCHALLA recovered the lacustrine sediment sequence of Lake Challa down to 214.8 meter below the lake floor, with almost certain 100% coverage over the uppermost 121.3 meter (ca.150,000 years ago to the present) and at least 80% coverage in the lower part of the sequence, down to the lowermost distinct seismic reflector displayed in the project logo. This reflector represents a 2-meter thick layer of volcanic sand and silt deposited ca.250,000 years ago, and overlies silty lacustrine clays deposited during early lake development. As readily observed through the transparent core liners, Lake Challa sediments are finely laminated throughout most of the recovered sequence. Down-hole logging from 187 meter depth to the surface produced continuous profiles of in-situ sediment composition that confer an absolute depth scale to both the recovered cores and their three-dimensional representation in seismic stratigraphy. (D. Verschuren)
The labwork includes the first microscopic analyses on smear slides taken from the core catchers. As expected, a very high abundance of diatoms, mainly Nitzschia and Afrocymbella!
The game is on! Yesterday, we've pulled up our first core section. After a smooth night and day shift, 21 Core sections were brought to the lab, equaling a whopping 63 meters of sediment record! (Photos by J. Dieleman, D. Verschuren en F. Peterse)
Our drivers Sam and Rasam bringing the teams up and down the lake every day. They are always in a good mood and unstoppable on the road! Asante sana (Photo by M. Van Daele)
Drilling the Crater Lake Challa at the boarder between Kenya and Tanzania is in preparation. Scheduled start of drilling operations will be November 1, 2016. (D. Verschuren)
Drilling the Crater Lake Challa at the boarder between Kenya and Tanzania is in preparation. Scheduled start of drilling operations will be November 1, 2016. (D. Verschuren)
