The past 3 days have been quite difficult with a number of operational complexities and delays. This morning, the permafrost casing had been run to 676m and 123 tons of cement was being prepared for placement. The volume of cement required for the casing is quite substantial given the hole erosion encountered in the permafrost section., With the assistance of Les Kutny, Judith and Volker returned to the field. We are happy to report that Judith was able to re-set the DTS monitoring system to allow for continued data collection. Within the near future we expect to return to drilling activities and advance the main hole to the first gas hydrate core point., In Inuvik, a three-member media team from Radio Canada/CBC has arrived in for some first-hand information.
In Inuvik, Microbiological Studies in the Gas Hydrate bearing and non-bearing sediments from Mallik V. Dieckmann, A.K. Jain, R. Colwell, M.Dlewche, M. Lehamn, M. Kumar progresses. The microbiology program is planned for core samples from the Mallik well is a fine example of a joint research effort with complimentary science goals and excellent collaboration between agencies. A key requirement in this program is to reduce contamination. The team will work very quickly on core samples as they are recovered at the drill site and place them in controlled environment within a glove box.
The ice plug in the 4L-38 well had been cleared and the four-inch gun assemblage tagged a blockage in the well at a depth of 845.5 meters below the ground surface. After 10 attempts to ram and push down the blockage in the 4L-38, our effort to clear the well was suspended.
Second day of the Workshop in Inuvik. Today the attention is turning to the sedimentology laboratory. In a few days, the cores arrives in the loading area of the Inuvik Research Center. They will be descripted in this room. Here is also where the Corescanner stands and where the subsampling is taken place.
The last Workshop before the coring begins; all the contributing scientists made presentations of their specific projects; Particulary the practical aspects of the core handeling comes to the fore; at the drill site the log of the permafrost layer is implemented.
Drilling began efficiently after spending a day cleaning up the mud system. Today, the hole had been advanced to 687m the depth of the permafrost casing set. Through the night the hole was conditioned for the wireline logging program and to prepare for the running casing., Inuvik Research
Drilling proceeded relatively smoothly until the late evening when progress slowed as, problems were encountered with the mud system. As with the observation wells this illustrates the difficulty in drilling warm permafrost. In the morning the hole had reached 572m., Scott Dallimore moved to the drill site and met with science team and operations staff and was debriefed by Tim Collett on his extensive field filing system., In Inuvik, progress continued on all fronts without any plumbing problems.
Progress continues on all fronts with many small planning meetings and arrival of numerous shipments of goods. The data management team has made good progress in the last few days. The photo of the day shows Ralf Loewner and Richard Laframboise testing the core scanner system. As part of their data management duties Richard and Ralf will assure that all data collected during the project is properly archived in the GSC project data base the ICDP, Drilling Information System (DIS)., The first daily reports through ICDP have also been made available on a secure web site, using any web browser.
This morning we had reached a depth of 172 m. Arrivals today of the remaining compliment of GSC researchers. Steady progress continues to be made on all fronts. Daily briefing set up with Operations team to allow efficient communications and exchange of information.
We expect to return to drilling within several hours. Activities limited to set up and data interpretation. Extensive contact with Inuvik lab to discuss logistical issues., In Inuvik, laboratory personnel continue to arrive and considerable progress has been made in regards to readiness of various labs.
After a quick rig move, today saw history made with the spud of the MAIN HOLE of the 2002 Mallik research program. With Wiersberg, Schick, and Collett poised at the ready, the Mallik 5L-38 well was spud at 23
