This post is a summary of our progress thus far at our 2nd  location only a bit further offshore still in sight of Monserrat. The following are science results as summarized by 340 Staff Scientist, Nicole Stroncik. Teaser photo credit, Tatsuya Adachi, 340 Physical Properties/Downhole Measurements Specialist

3/9/2012 SCIENCE UPDATE: Coring operations at our 2nd location, Site U1394 (CARI-03C) was designed to core the distal parts of an older debris avalanche deposit (deposit 2) of the Soufrière-Hills volcano on Montserrat. Drilling proceeded steadily for the last 24 hours. We retrieved 23 Cores with an average recovery rate of 15%. The cores contained turbiditic, volcaniclastic, and clayey sediments. The total depth reached into the formation was 254 meters below seafloor (mbsf); water depth 1115 meters

 

3/10/2012 SCIENCE UPDATE: For the last 24 hours we did not retrieve any cores because we encountered highly unfavorable drilling conditions and had to abandon Hole A. We moved 20 m to the north at 16:35 and started to pick up the bottom-hole assembly in preparation of the coring operations at Hole B. Water depth 1126 meters

3/11/2012 SCIENCE UPDATE: We ended the first week by continuing at our 2nd location, Site U1394 (CARI-03C) where drillers spudded Hole B at 02:55 and retrieved 18 Cores from 0 to 154 mbsf. In total we retrieved 113 m of material at an average recovery rate of 74%. In the upper part of the hole we cored volcaniclastic sediments below the volcaniclastic material we recovered marine sediments. Water depth 1126 meters

Photo credits, Takeshi Saito, 340 Paleomagnetist

Well, that wraps up week 1 of the ‘ocean detectives’ explorations in the Lesser Antilles.