2 weeks 4 days
Profile
Julie Pollard is a middle school science teacher in Texas. She has a degree in Geology, and loves unlocking a love of science in her students. She has been married for 25 years, and has a teenage son who is active in theater and drama. Julie likes to read, scrapbook, collect rock and mineral samples and watch her son act. She will be the Teacher at Sea on board the Canterbury Expedition in Fall, 2009.
Julie Pollard's blog
Going Home
I'm sitting here waiting for the bus to take the science party to the hotel. It feels really sad to be leaving all the people who have been my family for the last 8 weeks.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
I can't believe that in 26 hours we'll be in our berth in the harbor in Wellington. I worried when I got on board that the time would drag and that 8 weeks would feel like an eternity.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to everyone! We rang in the new year on the bow of the ship.
The End is in Sight and So are the Squid
It's early morning of December 31 here on the ship. Things are quiet right now because we're waiting for the gale force winds to die out and the sea to calm so we can start drilling again. We had to suspend drilling early yesterday afternoon because of the swells.
The Calm Before the Storm
Well, Christmas is over and all the festivities are behind us. Celebrating the holidays on the ship was amazing. We had a gift exchange on Christmas Eve, where I received this cute stuffed sheep, which will forever remind me of New Zealand!
By the Numbers
The picture above shows a cutting shoe for an Extended Core Barrel (XCB) drill bit. On this expedition, we have alternated between 3 types of drill bits. The XCB, Advanced Piston Coring (APC) and Rotary Core Barrel (RCB). Each bit and cutting shoe is best suited to a certain kind of sediment and set of drilling conditions. The APC is best for soft sediments and is
To Slice or to Smear?
When the cores are being described by the sedimentologists, they need to know more than just color and visible structures. They need to know what minerals the grains are made up of, and if there are any remains of organics, such as plants and animals.
Chill Out!
Once the samples have been taken from the working half, and the archive halves of the core have been described, they have to be packed and stored so they will be ready to ship when we reach port.
A Paraconformity and a Record!
We've had a very eventful few days on the JR - geologically speaking! We've set a record (another one!) and we've hit our target for this drilling site.
