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 […]
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 […]
Presented without comment.
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 […]
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 […]
[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 […]
What? You really wanted to know how I got picked to go to sea?You might say it was Facebook.Last spring, the Facebook page for the drillship JOIDES Resolution (“the JR”) posted a call for a paleomagnetist from the US to sail on an expedition to the Bengal Fan. Since that description fits me (and not that […]
Starting late next month, I’ll be at sea in the middle of the Bay of Bengal as part of IODP Expedition 354. Going to sea for months at a time is something new and exciting for me. I’m going to be blogging here about my experience, starting with preparations for the cruise. I hope that […]