We have reached a depth of 300m! There have been some slow downs due to hard salt layers and problems with the drilling mud. Apparently, the guar gum reacts too well with the hypersaline water of the Dead Sea and even small amount turn solid quickly. We have a few geochemists working on the problem. The cores coming out have been interesting to say the least. At the top of the picture above you can see a smaller core. It is full of gravel. Not salt, but actual gravel. While this does not mean that the lake dried out, it does imply that the shore was EXTREMELY close to where we are drilling at some time in the distant past. The "wavy" salt patterns in the middle core (the core beneath the one Lisa is holding) could indicate salt flow. Despite some problems and setbacks, the overall feeling is optimistic and positive. This project has been getting amazing press coverage in the local, as well as the foreign media. More updates will follow.