to see a daily log of the SHADRIL cruise.
April 2006
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
March 2006
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | -- |
February 2006
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
April 2005
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
March 2005
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | -- | -- |
Location: 64 23.527 S, 63 14.997W
Temperature: -1 C
Back in Business in Lapeyrere Bay
It has been misty and gray all day. The pancake ice is close together and has formed a crust all around the Palmer. The heavy wet snow is accumulating on the ice. The sea is still, unusually still. There is barely any wind. From the ice tower I look for a seal, penguin, some sign of life. There is none. It is as if the time has stopped in Lapeyrere Bay.
The bay may be ghostly quiet, but there is a flurry of activity on the Palmer. When almost all hopes were abandoned and the science party was resigned to leave this site empty handed, the sediment on the ocean floor gave in. The giant rig is pushing the pipes into the sea mud again. The radio now announces the arrival of core samples in regular intervals.
Our geologists are once again delighting in their precious samples. They carry the plastic tubes filled with the cherished cargo as one would hold a baby. There is a sparkle in their eyes as they look at it. They touch it and caress it as lovers do. The precious mud is on their hands, clothes, and faces. I succumbed to the temptation too. When nobody was looking, I stuck my finger in the greenish gray goop and rubbed the mud ball between my thumb and the index fingers, as I have seen the connoisseurs do so many times on this trip. "Pebbly mud," I silently pronounced the verdict. A chill went down my spine. Have I caught the bug?
The arrival of the core samples was not the only geological delight we have had today. Pat Manly gave a wonderful presentation about the geological history of Lake Champlain. We learned about the seiche movements of the lake water and the mysterious "General," a pockmark on the bottom of the lake. History enthusiasts relished the story about the search for a sunken ship from the Revolutionary War.
The coring will continue through the night. The pipes will be pulled on the deck one last time tomorrow morning. We are leaving Lapeyrere Bay. This episode in uncovering the secrets of the geological past of Antarctica needed a happy ending and I am very pleased to announce that it has at least one now.
Alex Injac
 Close to Heaven at Lapeyrere Bay
|
||
|
|
