Some of the basalts that we have drilled through in recent days. After some heavy rains, the sky is clear and there is plenty of snow on Iztaccihuatl. [photos by Peter Fawcett] (MexiDrill on facebook)
Coring continues. Peter Fawcett, Antje Schwalb and Carmen Acosta process a core fresh from the ground. The "300 m Club." Carmen (UNAM), Peter (Univ of New Mexico) and Antje (Braunschweig Technical Univ) show off the core section that put the project 300 m into the hole. (MexiDrill on facebook)
Downhole logging of the upper ~195m went well. The LIAG Group (Thomas Wonik, Thomas Grelle and Jan-Thorsten Blanke shown here; Carlos Lehne not in photo) worked through the night to complete the job. We are now casing the hole to stabilize it and to establish better circulation and returns of drilling fluids. [post by Erik] (MexiDrill on facebook)
Un cambio de estafeta mientras al fondo se ven los tubos que se están colocando (camisa) para estabilizar el pozo antes de seguir mas profundo (post by Maga) (MexiDrill on facebook)
The first week in the lab, ostracodes and diatoms everywhere!!! Los estudiantes están analizando al microscopio las preparaciones. Van a determinar la presencia de microfosiles como polen, ostracodos, diatomeas y vaún a ver que minerales están presentes en las preparaciones. (MexiDrill on facebook)
Some minor repairs were required, the down-core logging equipment is now ready to be used. At the UNAM lab students are being trained and are starting to looking at the smear slides. (MexiDrill on facebook)
The heavy downhole logging equipment being loaded into a big truck, ready to go to the drilling site [post by Margarita Caballero] First night shift was rockin' and rollin'! Got 31 cores and ended right around 110 meters, where the 2008 cores bottomed out - so we're now collecting NEW SCIENCE! Whoo hoo! The second night shift is in progress! We had a little excitement wondering whether a volcano was erupting in our neighborhood, but it's just nopales (cactus) burning up on the slope. [post by Amy Myrbo]. With the help of the Marine and Limnology Sciences Institute, the downhole logging equipment arrived at the drill site. (MexiDrill on facebook)
The first cores already in the lab at UNAM!! Also the downhole logging team arrived in Mexico. [post by Margarita Caballero Miranda] Amy and Shane visited the school this morning along with Sandy Garcia Léon, a former student there who is now studying Earth Sciences at UNAM. Amy and Sandy gave presentations in Spanish on lake sediments and the MexiDrill project, and Shane showed the students a core that we took yesterday from near the drilling site. Then we chatted with the awesome students and took some photos together. Thank you to everyone for your hospitality, questions, and smiles! We had a wonderful time visiting this interesting and important school and meeting you! [post by Amy Myrbo] It was a long day in the field with significant time spent conditioning the hole. In mid-afternoon, we started to get core! [post by Erik Brown] (MexiDrill on facebook)
Early this afternoon we started getting cores! Soft sediments on top were difficult to collect, but after we got a few meters down, things got fast! We were 46.69 m below the surface when we stopped today. No night shift tonight, so that the drillers can receive more training on the solids separator (saves money and is environmentally friendlier!), but we start again tomorrow morning with 2x 12 hour shifts every day! (MexiDrill on facebook)
First day on the drill site. Some delays meant that we will not have the first core on deck until tomorrow morning (no money has been spent yet!), but we had a useful day nonetheless. (MexiDrill on facebook)
Many more team members arrived yesterday and today, and we all moved from the area near the UNAM campus to our rental house near the drilling site. A few more details, and we're ready to start drilling on schedule tomorrow! Photos by Amy Myrbo and Ryan O'Grady. (MexiDrill on facebook)