Where are we?

Off the western coast of Costa Rica, in the Pacific Ocean, Hole U1414A. Our coordinates have been 8°30.2’ North, 84°13.5’ West, and now heading slowly towards Puntarenas! A beautiful final day at sea with only a few clouds in the sky.

Scientists at Work

The downhole logging started yesterday after we brought up the last core. The first logging run was today with the Triple Combo Ultrasonic Borehole Imager (TC-UBI). We finished the downhole logging, pulled up the drill string, and filled in the hole prior to departure.  The Beacon was released from the seafloor, and the crane operator has to snag it with a hook when it floats up to the surface. Nice catch!

The crew pulls it over to the ship.

then we slowly started our transit to Puntarenas!

 

Those final cores consisted of greenish sandstones, reddish calcareous siltstone, with a bit of claystone thrown into the mix. Under the sediment layer, they found another basalt unit similar to the one above the sediment.  All of the shipboard measurements were completed and then cleaning the labs for the rest of the day. 

 

Today, Dr. Miriam Kastner, professor of Earth Sciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, gave a lecture on methane hydrates after lunch, then everyone headed off to finish packing and cleaning.

 

Life on Board

Christmas is coming soon! The staff has given the ship a festive air to get everyone in a holiday spirit. They put up a Christmas tree in the galley decorated with baubles and origami.

Thank you for spending time with me on the JOIDES Resolution! May the odds be ever in your favor…

Signing off,

Dena Rosenberger

Education Officer Expedition 344

For more photos, see our Facebook page!

 

From the Pacific Ocean