This post summarizes a publication in the journal Nature (note paywall): Biggin, A.J., Piispa, E.J., Pesonen, L.J., Holme, R., Paterson, G.A., Veikkolainen, T., and Tauxe, L., 2015, Palaeomagnetic field intensity variations suggest Mesoproterozoic inner-core nucleation: Nature, v. 526, no. 7572, p. 245–248, doi: 10.1038/nature15523. Earlier this month, an article about the age of Earth’s inner core made […]
Projects
Lab research projects, including paper discussions, works in progress, field photos, and more!
Getting Involved in Undergraduate Research
Almost 20 years ago, I was lucky enough to be a student participant in two undergraduate research programs – the Keck geology consortium and Caltech’s SURF program (full disclosure: I didn’t participate in all aspects of the SURF program). The Keck program in particular involved a summer spent mapping and studying gabbro [1] on the […]
A Visit to the Gulf Core Repository
While at Texas A&M University for our postcruise editorial meeting [1] with some old friends from the Bengal Fan expedition, I took the opportunity to visit IODP’s Gulf Core Repository.Fortunately, Curatorial Specialist Hannah Kastor, who sailed with us in the Bay of Bengal, was there to show us around the repository. Along with Michael Weber, […]
A Bengal Fan Backgrounder
As I’ve been writing these blog posts, I’ve been trying to include footnotes that point you deeper into the scientific literature about paleomagnetism, rock magnetism, and the geology of the Bengal Fan. But if you’re a student planning on working with me this coming quarter, you might want a little more background than what I’ve been putting […]
Lab Equipment on the Drill Ship
I spend about 12 hours in the lab most of the days I’m at sea [1]. So do most of the other scientists on board. Sometimes we get a little silly talking about our lab equipment after (or during) our shifts. Right now the lab is kind of quiet, waiting for cores to come up from our […]
A map of my typical day
Presented without comment.
How sediments get magnetized
We are currently drilling through a big pile of mud and sand on the seafloor (the biggest such pile of mud and sand in the world), and I’m spending most of my day sitting next to the “silver bullet” in this photo:If you can’t see the sign in the photo, this is the superconducting rock […]
How we get cores
The JOIDES Resolution is a ship made to recover hundreds of meters of rock or mud cores from miles below the ocean. This amazing feat is accomplished by a huge crew and one big drill. To understand what we’re trying to do out here, it helps to know how the drilling works.The tower-like structure on the […]
What I’m doing in the Bay of Bengal, Part 1
[Now with illustrations!]I realized shortly before I left the US that I’d written a few posts on what it is that a paleomagnetist does, but nothing about the purpose of our research cruise. I have a couple of days before Expedition 354 starts (I’m spending a few of those in Japan, filling up on ramen […]
IODP Cruises on Youtube
If you’re wondering what sorts of things scientists do on board the drillship JOIDES Resolution, there are a couple of nice videos available. These are from Expedition 342 back in 2012, led by Dick Norris from Scripps. The production values are quite high. I watched these with my 6-year-old son, and we both enjoyed them.