12 April 2009 Sleeping out and going deeper. (Video)

Happy Easter to every one back home... Here in Russia, Easter will be celebrated next week!

I have been working on a series of videos... conversations with Julie Brigham-Grette about Lake E, geology, wildlife and our project. Here is the first... a description of our location here at Lake E.

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I was late getting up this morning and I almost missed the tundra bus that was to take the day shift out to the drilling platform... (more on that later) When I got out to the rig, I was helping measure and document the sediment cores that we were extracting. It is so exciting to see the sediments that have been buried in the lake for more than 2 million years! The deeper we drill, the older the sediments, the more time it takes to "trip-in and trip-out" the drill pipe. I am learning the work cycle on the science half of the rig. When the core-barrel comes to the surface, we all go to work to extract the core, measure, sample and record the and prepare the tool for the next "shot" or trip down the hole.

As we proceed deeper into the lake sediments, and more pipe is down the bore hole, the drill string (the pipe and all the tools) is getting much heavier. Because of the weight, it is more difficult to spin the drill and move the drill string. This morning on our shift, we started to get near the maximum depth for the kind of drill pipe we are currently using. Consequently, the decision was made to stop drilling and switch over to the smaller diameter (and lighter weight) drill pipe. Before the switch is made, our down-hole loggers will drop their probes down the hole to acquire the continuous measurement record and fill in the gaps from missing cores. So during the next 18 hours drilling has stopped.

But, back to last night...why was I almost late for the bus? In the down time, here at camp while our team was still in Pevek trying to coordinate the shipment of the replacement drill parts, some of the science team constructed an igloo...

Since many of you know how crazy I am, it should come as no surprise that I HAD to spend a night in the igloo! After all, how many Americans can say they slept a night in an igloo in the Siberian arctic...in the winter? (Yes I am crazy!)

Even though the temperature dropped down to -12 F, I managed to stay warm in a double sleeping bag and coat and I never opened my hand warmer packs.

T-Mart...Staying warm in Siberia.