tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75201612407035384272024-03-13T11:11:24.553-07:00European Petrophysics ConsortiumEuropean Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-77618474277978963942019-10-16T04:11:00.002-07:002019-10-16T04:11:49.972-07:00Downhole logging tools: the resolution question <div class="MsoNormal">
As with many logging-data end users, I have always been aware of the variable spatial resolutions of logging tools. I am also aware of the swathe of variables that can influence the resolution of logging data during the data collection phase. These include the source-sensor arrangement on the tool string, sampling rate, logging speed, penetrative strength of any radioactive sources, borehole conditions such as hole diameter and mud density, and the appropriateness of the tools for investigating the specific downhole lithologies. However, for the next few minutes I would like to focus solely on the tools themselves and what exactly can be measured when all other conditions are ideal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Logging tool technology utilizes many forms of investigative method – from acoustic pulses to magnetic fields, passing through a range of different nuclear source types on the way. By consequence, individual tools measure different areas of the downhole environment. In other words, they exhibit different spatial resolutions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spatial (or measurement) resolution in logging tools can be separated into vertical resolution and depth of investigation; with vertical resolution detailing the ability of a tool to resolve changes in tool response parallel to the tool axis (<a href="https://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms/v/vertical_resolution.aspx" target="_blank">Schlumberger</a>); and depth of investigation detailing tool response perpendicular to tool axis. In other words, depth of investigation tells us how far into a geological formation (i.e. beyond the borehole walls) a tools response can be influenced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The vertical resolution and depth of investigation of any given tool are often linked, as most physical fields are spherical (<a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-1988-A" target="_blank">Clark et al. 1988</a>). However, this is not always the case. The sonic tool, for example, produces acoustic waves that do not propagate spherically but rather with a “field” shape closer to that of an ellipsoid (<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Geological_Interpretation_of_Well_Lo.html?id=HKReuAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">Rider and Kennedy, 2011</a> – strongly recommended reading for a summary of acoustic wave propagation characteristics within a formation). A good rule of thumb in modern sonic tools is that the depth of investigation in inches, is the same as the transmitter receiver spacing in feet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The vertical depth of any given logging tool is often controlled by, or at least heavily influenced by, its transmitter-receiver spacing. However, this is only part of the story. While a tool may have excellent <b>qualitative</b> spatial/vertical resolution, it may still exhibit poor <b>quantitative</b> resolution. Quantitative tool resolution can also be termed <i>minimum bed thickness</i>; defined as the minimum thickness of geological bed for which a tool can/will detect <i>true</i> values.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most <i>minimum bed thicknesses</i> are calculated through tool testing; as the minimum thickness often relies as much on the formation being tested as it does the tool itself. This creates a situation where certain lithologies can be read for <i>true</i> values at finer resolutions than other lithologies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a good example of how vertical resolution of a tool can be lithology-dependant take a look at electrical resistivity tools. Resistivity tools can have extensive vertical resolutions, but can also be subject to shoulder bed effects. This is where the beds either side of a bed of interest influence the tools response. The influence of a shoulder bed is magnified with increasing contrast between the measurement values of the two beds. Furthermore, studies by <a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-1988-A" target="_blank">Clarke et al. (1988)</a> show that shoulder bed effects can be greater if the shouldering beds are of lower resistivity (more electrically conductive) relative to the bed of interest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrw73ey9CTxWGB8ZwGBaGUa73vXYnkHldu7UYgfTvy5ruJENnAK9u5hh5NDb9FY1rp4awBI1tp49ZqO74EIFz5NAsFY0_nUgd0GWwCUYJWsVh7v2ZdvyOOv-PKmpqL6NIXTrb-fBgAvZP/s1600/Resistivity+shoulder+beds-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrw73ey9CTxWGB8ZwGBaGUa73vXYnkHldu7UYgfTvy5ruJENnAK9u5hh5NDb9FY1rp4awBI1tp49ZqO74EIFz5NAsFY0_nUgd0GWwCUYJWsVh7v2ZdvyOOv-PKmpqL6NIXTrb-fBgAvZP/s400/Resistivity+shoulder+beds-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altered from <a href="http://petrophysicists%20and%20well-log%20analysts./" target="_blank">Clarke et al. 1988</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In addition to vertical resolution, measurement depth of investigation can also be lithology-dependant. A good example here comes from the porosity tool where non-porous beds can be <i>seen</i> to a greater depth than a porous bed as water contained in pores intercepts neutrons emitted from the source. This effect can be significant, with 0% porosity beds penetrated by 60 cm, 10% porosity beds by 34 cm, and 30% porosity beds by only 16.5 cm (<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Geological_Interpretation_of_Well_Lo.html?id=HKReuAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">Rider and Kennedy, 2011</a>).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are few cases where a logging tools <i>minimum bed thickness</i> is in fact finer than its vertical resolution. <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5ZWZCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR19&dq=log+data+acquisition+and+quality+control+theys&ots=Cv2_ZsHz_i&sig=S4xw3Hnyx3MdXvvKXTmDMTvNigo&redir_esc=y#v=twopage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Theys (1999)</a> showed that the photoelectric factor output of the density tool often accurately identified beds 10-20 cm thick, even though the transmitter-receiver spacing for the tool was 36 cm and the <i>minimum bed thickness</i> for the overall density measurement was closer to 40 cm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Due to this lithology control (in addition to the environmental controls omitted in this blog) it can prove challenging to report on the <i>true</i> vertical resolution of a given logging tool. See the image below for some rough areas of investigation of common logging tools. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV_yjGTi8cnUqauqy7UqkhYOSJp4mADOiX_esOsrAY6KeXAFN3JHxyBMPHFxh6c3ZIooQd-xOzpeHUTgcybrfGrqfPqe0F7AkS7VClnZd2WK_O1kmFl-u-16aCqc0Z9UCFHG8GauR69IF/s1600/Triple+Combo+tool+string_layers_4-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV_yjGTi8cnUqauqy7UqkhYOSJp4mADOiX_esOsrAY6KeXAFN3JHxyBMPHFxh6c3ZIooQd-xOzpeHUTgcybrfGrqfPqe0F7AkS7VClnZd2WK_O1kmFl-u-16aCqc0Z9UCFHG8GauR69IF/s640/Triple+Combo+tool+string_layers_4-01.jpg" width="511" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approximate to-scale graphical representation of common logging tool areas of investigation </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to find out what is truly going on down a borehole, a data user needs to understand both <b>what </b>is being measured, and <b>how</b> – more reason to interrogate multiple data types – core, seismic, and log data to name a few.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Failing the ability to do this, one can always use certain log data to quality control other data since most tools utilise different investigative technologies and thus present different limitations. There are also inversion methods and other tools that data users can utilize to increase tool accuracy and shrink minimum bed thickness detection windows. A good summary of some methods can be found in this paper by <a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-2009-64704" target="_blank">Sanchez-Ramirez et al. (2009)</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I see it, the only way round this issue is (as with any trades person) to know your tools as there is nearly always a difference between bed detectability and <i>minimum bed thickness</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Laurence</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
References:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-1988-A" target="_blank">Clark, B., Liiling, M.G., Jundt, J., Ross, M. and Best, D., 1988, January. A dual depth resistivity measurement for FEWD. In SPWLA 29th Annual Logging Symposium. Society of Petrophysicists and Well-Log Analysts.</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Geological_Interpretation_of_Well_Lo.html?id=HKReuAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y" target="_blank">Rider, M. and Kennedy, M., 2011. The geological interpretation of well logs: Rider-French Consulting Ltd.</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-2009-64704" target="_blank">Sanchez-Ramirez, J.A., Torres-Verdín, C., Wang, G.L., Mendoza, A., Wolf, D., Liu, Z. and Schell, G., 2009, January. Field examples of the combined petrophysical inversion of gamma-ray, density, and resistivity logs acquired in thinly-bedded clastic rock formations. In SPWLA 50th Annual Logging Symposium. Society of Petrophysicists and Well-Log Analysts.</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms/v/vertical_resolution.aspx" target="_blank">Schlumberger definition of vertical resolution.</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5ZWZCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR19&dq=log+data+acquisition+and+quality+control+theys&ots=Cv2_ZsHz_i&sig=S4xw3Hnyx3MdXvvKXTmDMTvNigo&redir_esc=y#v=twopage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Theys, P.P., 1999. Log data acquisition and quality control. Editions Technip.</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-55359041694130516622019-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:002019-07-19T08:55:37.822-07:00Sourcing petrophysics data<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In my <a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.com/2019/04/applying-petrophysics-to-geoscience.html" target="_blank">previous blog</a>
I summarised a variety of ways in which petrophysical data can provide insight
into a range of geoscience fields. But what use is this if you don’t have any
data to work with? So I thought this might make a useful next topic – sourcing
petrophysics data. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The short list
below details a few ways of acquiring publicly available petrophysics data. As
I work within the IODP my knowledge-base is a little skewed, that said however,
the list is in no particular order. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><b>1. IODP</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Let’s start with
the obvious, or at least the most obvious to me - the International Ocean Discovery
Program (IODP). The IODP is an international marine research collaboration that
explores Earth's history and dynamics using ocean-going research platforms to
recover data recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and to monitor
subseafloor environments (</span><a href="https://www.iodp.org/about-iodp/about-iodp"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">source</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">).
Throughout its 50 year life-cycle the IODP has drilled, logged and collected
samples from almost every geological setting around the world’s oceans
(Goldberg, 1997). Such a useful resource that IODP data is even fed into the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViFmQ4IVCeU"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Neftex Earth Model</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, and IODP
microfossil data into </span><a href="http://www.mikrotax.org/Nannotax3/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Nannotax</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">This breadth
however sometimes means that finding targeted data can be challenging for
researchers that are not fluent in IODP language and structure. For this reason
I will try and simplify the various databases below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The IODP consists
of three operating platforms, the JOIDES Resolution, the Chikyu and the Mission-Specific
Platform (MSP) (see below). These operating platforms each have individual
online databases for the data they collect. Data types stored in these
databases include all data from core analyses both on whole round recovered
cores (e.g. multi-sensor track system data) and split/slabbed core (e.g. core
images, colour reflectance data); as well as all sample-based analyses (e.g.
discrete measurements, chemical analyses etc.). For a complete list of standard
measurements collected on every expedition click </span><a href="https://www.iodp.org/jr-facility-policies-procedures-guidelines"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Logging data (as
opposed to core/sample-based data) recovered by IODP on the other hand is simple
data to find - with all three operating platforms depositing data in the IODP
log database. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOgQ8btDRSXp2qog4VLQZAMGBeSB9iGCDhZqQAGU_YBuqcAKoXDYQ2_zhOxJEZh5G7ar-qb_OUAs6ZVqWGfkAx3o8TWaIAfVKEyr7k7wGWU1c2O8sGLRHerRlyq33xQ7jAQQef1Lkawsc/s1600/IODP+structure-simple_Inverted-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="1600" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOgQ8btDRSXp2qog4VLQZAMGBeSB9iGCDhZqQAGU_YBuqcAKoXDYQ2_zhOxJEZh5G7ar-qb_OUAs6ZVqWGfkAx3o8TWaIAfVKEyr7k7wGWU1c2O8sGLRHerRlyq33xQ7jAQQef1Lkawsc/s640/IODP+structure-simple_Inverted-01.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Databases associated with each IODP platform</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Links:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<table align="left" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; margin-left: 6.75pt; margin-right: 6.75pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-insideh-themecolor: background1; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid white; mso-border-insidev-themecolor: background1; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid white; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-table-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-table-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-table-left: left; mso-table-lspace: 9.0pt; mso-table-rspace: 9.0pt; mso-table-top: 6.6pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" style="border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 188.05pt;" valign="top" width="251"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Downhole logging database<span style="display: none; mso-hide: all;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="display: none; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hide: all;">HYPERLINK
"http://brg.ldeo.columbia.edu/logdb/" </span><a href="http://brg.ldeo.columbia.edu/logdb/scientific_ocean_drilling/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">http://brg.ldeo.columbia.edu/logdb/scientific_ocean_drilling/</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="display: none; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hide: all;">HYPERLINK
"http://brg.ldeo.columbia.edu/logdb/" </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 188.05pt;" valign="top" width="251"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">MSP/Pangea</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<a href="http://iodp.pangaea.de/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">http://iodp.pangaea.de/</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 188.05pt;" valign="top" width="251"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Chikyu</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<a href="http://sio7.jamstec.go.jp/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">http://sio7.jamstec.go.jp/</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.9pt;" valign="top" width="123"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">JOIDES Resolution:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 96.15pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Overview <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<a href="http://web.iodp.tamu.edu/OVERVIEW/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">http://web.iodp.tamu.edu/OVERVIEW/</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.9pt;" valign="top" width="123"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 96.15pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">JANUS (Pre Exp. 317 - 2009)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<a href="http://iodp.tamu.edu/janusweb/links/links_all.shtml"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">http://iodp.tamu.edu/janusweb/links/links_all.shtml</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 91.9pt;" valign="top" width="123"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 96.15pt;" valign="top" width="128"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">LIMS (Post Exp. 317 - 2009)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-left-themecolor: background1; mso-border-right-themecolor: background1; mso-border-themecolor: background1; mso-border-top-alt: solid white .5pt; mso-border-top-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 262.75pt;" valign="top" width="351"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-element-frame-hspace: 9.0pt; mso-element-top: 6.6pt; mso-element-wrap: around; mso-element: frame; mso-height-rule: exactly;">
<a href="http://web.iodp.tamu.edu/LORE/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">http://web.iodp.tamu.edu/LORE/</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">But what if you
wish to find data on a specific lithology or structure? Or what about from a particular
ocean/region? The IODP has undertaken nearly 300 scientific exploration
expeditions during its lifecycle and so knowing where they all went and what
they all drilled is a near impossibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">There are 2 main
ways that I prefer to browse expeditions and find relevant data. The first is
to download the </span><a href="https://www.iodp.org/resources/maps-and-kml-tools"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">latest IODP KML file</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, load it into Google Earth and fly
around the world’s oceans. Each data point has associated expedition data and
it’s a great way to find the extent of IODP exploration in the area. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhCu8MU3XGFM78xR_KD_q0D2AweKi20bbEXAAHKbL-pS0UfMxowOx_EIVcgYEd7XV0OBGYlGuTGWLOfJsPQSTvSIek4eEOdTv44a9U7W__hIqqFx3TOShT2gjWWQtj-b70y7XbXa4H3zd/s1600/ezgif-4-fb7d2a692097.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="600" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhCu8MU3XGFM78xR_KD_q0D2AweKi20bbEXAAHKbL-pS0UfMxowOx_EIVcgYEd7XV0OBGYlGuTGWLOfJsPQSTvSIek4eEOdTv44a9U7W__hIqqFx3TOShT2gjWWQtj-b70y7XbXa4H3zd/s640/ezgif-4-fb7d2a692097.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IODP drillsites plotted in Google Earth from KML download</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The second way is
to use the </span><a href="http://sedis.iodp.org/search.php" style="font-size: 10pt;" target="_blank">Scientific Earth Drilling Information Service (SEDIS)</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> database. The
SEDIS database is a web-based search tool designed to increase the
accessibility of IODP data through various search functions. These include
searching for datasets by keyword/lithology, geographic area, map coordinates
and date. It is also possible to search IODP publications for keywords to find
references to related lithologies, structures or fields of research etc.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgvcL7-uS4qMPyNg9J1KS82OiKa6mUIOcI5CNH08QlgqJ3mjB12vEZAezN_88efT2M0K5DU7taWSnZsCYbR9QcBOjrF_ns-PZee6_Geb8FM_ezdWXFJOWq8HH3WUyidd23ewtisTpjhCN/s1600/SEDIS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1600" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgvcL7-uS4qMPyNg9J1KS82OiKa6mUIOcI5CNH08QlgqJ3mjB12vEZAezN_88efT2M0K5DU7taWSnZsCYbR9QcBOjrF_ns-PZee6_Geb8FM_ezdWXFJOWq8HH3WUyidd23ewtisTpjhCN/s640/SEDIS.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching for lithologies in the SEDIS database</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><b>2. MGDS </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">IODP is not the
only source of publicly available petrophysics data. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The </span><a href="http://www.marine-geo.org/index.php"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> provides a service for free public access to
marine geoscience research data. Since 2010, M</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">GDS has
also been part of the </span><a href="https://www.iedadata.org/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Interdisciplinary
Earth Data Alliance (IEDA)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. This is a National Science
Foundation (NSF)-funded service for solid earth geoscience data. One way of
easily and visually browsing for data is by going to the IEDA </span><a href="http://app.iedadata.org/databrowser/"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">data browser</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
and searching geographical locations by changing layer information. Layer data
includes:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Integrated <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">geochemistry</b> data from PetDB, SedDB,
MetPetDB, GEOROC, NavDat, USGS, and GANSEKI.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">MGDS <b>Cruise Tracks</b></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> - Marine
geoscience research data acquired throughout the global oceans and adjoining
continental margins. Very useful if you are searching for cruise data in
specific locations.</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Geochronology</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> - Community contributed database of U-Pb, (U-Th)/He, and Ar-Ar
geochronology and thermochronology data.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">GMRT</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> - Global
Multi-Resolution <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Topography</b> (GMRT)
synthesis</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">SESAR catalogs and
preserves <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sample metadata</b> profiles
and operates the registry that distributes the International Geo Sample Number
(IGSN).</span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Seismic Data</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> - Marine seismic data from active source studies conducted for
academic research are managed through the Academic Seismic Portals (ASP) of
LDEO and UTIG.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvGw_yHEJCdSfZVM6-53RFNq7SmlsefiM5_a-3kF5oYksKnYHqF4HruTaYwhlNB5SwtMO4LsjhumQxDPUWBjBhb5ifWMhaBTsQQIQPGpU8FtSLmfQWYQCx1MEpGDTyBehVxx5fICjUxjn/s1600/IEDA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvGw_yHEJCdSfZVM6-53RFNq7SmlsefiM5_a-3kF5oYksKnYHqF4HruTaYwhlNB5SwtMO4LsjhumQxDPUWBjBhb5ifWMhaBTsQQIQPGpU8FtSLmfQWYQCx1MEpGDTyBehVxx5fICjUxjn/s640/IEDA.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start;">Seismic data lines shot in the Caribbean region and stored in the IEDA database.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Another way of visualising the vast quantities of data stored in the MGDS is through the <a href="http://www.geomapapp.org/" target="_blank">GeoMapApp</a>. GeoMapApp is free software that, once downloaded, provides a map-based application for browsing, visualizing and analysing data. With a
huge number of options and functionality, you may want to make use of the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoMapApp/videos"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Youtube
tutorials</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> to get the most out of the software.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbtYrYYWjhmZdTDS-hmg7vBawSrJiiaZik4WszxybTvB50ZVBSr9jJIwmkFUzT76fevCza0OY-0EH5h8DULKpsdc0XpJ1eXRUx-AmcpIBzJ_fEcXIrmzYNiyMLGkqrHLnJ_iRqmMPpgCb/s1600/GeoMapAPP_Composite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="1600" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbtYrYYWjhmZdTDS-hmg7vBawSrJiiaZik4WszxybTvB50ZVBSr9jJIwmkFUzT76fevCza0OY-0EH5h8DULKpsdc0XpJ1eXRUx-AmcpIBzJ_fEcXIrmzYNiyMLGkqrHLnJ_iRqmMPpgCb/s640/GeoMapAPP_Composite.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice flow velocity, plate velocity vector data, and seafloor crustal age data available inside GeoMapApp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>3. NDR</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For petrophysical data that centres on the UK,
the UK Oil and Gas authority released this year 130 terabytes of data in the
form of the new </span><a href="https://ndr.ogauthority.co.uk/dp/controller/PLEASE_LOGIN_PAGE"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">National
Data Repository (NDR)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. This data comes in the form of more than 12,500 wells, 5000 seismic surveys, and 3000 pipelines around the UK. Much of this data are historical, however there</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> are also data on
wells as recent as February 2019. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Even if this data is not
directly applicable to your research area, finding real data on similar
geological settings can be extremely useful for training both people and
machines in the pursuit of learning. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunRj-ussLj6qUVQn4Ibyhzrt94q1v-Q9_nwSu9CvRgvPTuyIZqf_HKC7bV-8FL-rkHvkAiP042eYe-aycxwkUBMndXx2qog-JVfudQ57Hhi8Xi2JmoMeX40btiMMj04BwghMo1PdJKTIF/s1600/NDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="1130" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunRj-ussLj6qUVQn4Ibyhzrt94q1v-Q9_nwSu9CvRgvPTuyIZqf_HKC7bV-8FL-rkHvkAiP042eYe-aycxwkUBMndXx2qog-JVfudQ57Hhi8Xi2JmoMeX40btiMMj04BwghMo1PdJKTIF/s640/NDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil and gas fields with available free data inside the National Data Repository</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So there it is,
three ways of sourcing free and publically available petrophysics data to help
answer all your marine geoscience questions. Happy searching. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-21963085093392988522019-04-15T08:57:00.001-07:002019-04-15T09:02:54.525-07:00Applying petrophysics to geoscience challenges<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Before we get into this topic, it is important to note how I am defining petrophysics. For a full explanation see my <a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.com/2019/04/petrophysics-is-about-much-more-than-oil.html" target="_blank">previous blog</a>, but in a nutshell I use petrophysics as “a term to express and explain the physical responses of particular rocks and sediment types”. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Straight off the bat it should be obvious that petrophysics and the associated insights it brings are applicable to a wide variety of geoscience challenges, particularly in the understanding of the subsurface. I would like to offer a few examples below but I should also mention that this article is not exhaustive. These are just a few example applications of data, primarily from the <a href="https://www.iodp.org/" target="_blank">International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)</a> and its precursor programs, where downhole (well) log data is routinely collected and has been used to answer the scientific challenges of its science plan. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Evidence for the wide applicability of petrophysical data is its role in the <a href="https://www.iodp.org/about-iodp/iodp-science-plan-2013-2023" target="_blank">IODP science plan 2013-2023</a>. The science plan is intended to guide multidisciplinary international collaboration by outlining the breadth of questions that IODP aim to tackle. Petrophysical analysis plays a part in answering all these questions covering the fields of: </div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Global climate past and present </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Deep life and the biosphere </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Planetary dynamics and tectonics </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Geohazards</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many of the strengths and applications of petrophysical data derive from the nature of its acquisition. Well log data provide an ‘investigation area’ that is relatively unique in the fields of geoscience investigation techniques. Sediment, rock and core samples and their analysis are commonplace, and investigate the nano-to-centimetre scale. Whilst seismic profiling provides basin-scale architecture, at its very best the data have a resolution of 10 metres. Log data covers the 0.1-100 metre scale area of investigation and is one of the few technologies specifically designed to do so. Added to the fact that logs capture continuous data and the <i>in situ</i> properties and, for these reasons, I think logging data should be more commonly utilised and considered when generating, and ground-truthing, geological models. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNidbzraFdgzgW2YL7XIYRVIiXX2UFm5TowjVLnAqw_f-vXPhO1TFIEigz565hieoSAvDWQj55IR3ApFrQKSao0_emhWpJiSJq2ovpNrazehoDNT6kxE6p3vXEgDLgw8nRSEFCFNbNSnzg/s1600/Log+data+area+of+investivation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="586" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNidbzraFdgzgW2YL7XIYRVIiXX2UFm5TowjVLnAqw_f-vXPhO1TFIEigz565hieoSAvDWQj55IR3ApFrQKSao0_emhWpJiSJq2ovpNrazehoDNT6kxE6p3vXEgDLgw8nRSEFCFNbNSnzg/s640/Log+data+area+of+investivation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Geoscientists can benefit greatly from integrating petrophysical data with their other data generated from direct sampling or observation of sediments or rocks. Petrophysics is geared towards answering <i>why</i> certain rock types exhibit the physical responses that they do, and in doing so producing quantifiable information on chemistry, mineralogy and fluid content (where possible). Invaluable information for sedimentology and petrology. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The continuous downhole (or more accurately, up-hole) recording of data also makes it ideal for capturing and analysing stratigraphy, cyclicity and other trends. This again can be valuable information for all geoscience disciplines but really add value to geoscientists researching palaeoclimates, paleoenvironments and paleoceanography, including those interested in sediment source. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Logging tools have different purposes with some aiming to characterise different aspects of the formation than others. Many tools such as electrical resistivity have deep areas of investigation (typically 1.5-2 metres). These tools can provide information on formation structure and fluid content rather than mineralogy and chemistry. Other tools can have extremely shallow depths of investigation such as the various imaging tools (millimetres). Borehole images can be used to analyse millimetre-scale textures and sedimentary structures within rocks and sediments as well as to examine fault orientation, dip and dip direction. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Imaging tools are deployed as standard during IODP expeditions and are becoming increasingly common elsewhere. The examples of borehole images below cover most of the spectrum. The left image was recorded during IODP Expedition 364 using a slimline acoustic imager <sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[<a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01927738/">1</a>]</span></sup>. The image has clearly recorded the coarse grained nature of the granite, but has also captured two generations of intrusion and measurable fractures comparable with the corresponding core from this depth. In the right image, wireline electrical resistivity images and Logging While Drilling (LWD) images have captured cross bedding in deltaic sandstones 1600 feet (~490 metres) below the surface in an oil well in Oklahoma <sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[<a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-2004-PP" target="_blank">2</a>]</span></sup>. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGsVsJqeCvKk8CQR-u2xLEN7WmDnmt-ctwrB_GPcK-1-mvghIoCx73S99Z3i17zHtxsK3VGXMZ2SlnzSz_zn0wAgwi-BNT6XMC-A7aa9f-bxpB9BbLnNSRQPtukGvz4ZLAyUwk2mBSgNB/s1600/downhole+images_2-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1600" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGsVsJqeCvKk8CQR-u2xLEN7WmDnmt-ctwrB_GPcK-1-mvghIoCx73S99Z3i17zHtxsK3VGXMZ2SlnzSz_zn0wAgwi-BNT6XMC-A7aa9f-bxpB9BbLnNSRQPtukGvz4ZLAyUwk2mBSgNB/s640/downhole+images_2-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The discipline of petrophysics is closely related to geophysics and integration of petrophysical measurements with other types of geophysics data can be of great benefit. It could be argued that the most useful data are those generated by the sonic tool. The sonic log is a continuous, usually high-resolution record of compressional velocity along the well path <sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[<a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" target="_blank">5</a>]</span></sup>. These data can ground-truth seismic surveys in the area by establishing the time-depth relationship and, importantly, linking well log to seismic profile and ultimately core to seismic. Morgan <i>et al.</i> <sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[<a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6314/878" target="_blank">3</a>]</span></sup> demonstrate this in their scientific expedition drilling in the Chixculub impact crater peak-ring. Here the seismic P-wave velocity (km/s) obtained from sonic wireline logging data confirmed that the predominantly coarse-grained, granitic rocks of the peak ring were indeed characterised by the low densities and low seismic velocities suggested by geophysical models based on seismic refraction data. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the sonic log is combined with a density log it also becomes possible to calculate acoustic impedance (a property of rock layers and their boundaries that govern acoustic reflection coefficients). Combining these petrophysical log data allows for creation of a synthetic seismogram. Further insights can be made into seismic profiles if shear slowness logs are generated as these can advise on formation fluids. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Access to fresh water is already one of society’s greatest challenges and will be an increasing concern in to our future. Lofi <i>et al.</i> <sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[<a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/geosphere/article/9/4/1009/132611" target="_blank">4</a>]</span></sup> used a range of data from IODP Expedition 313 including lithology, 2-D seismic profiles, pore-water salinity measurements, porosity measurements, density measured from core, thorium content (from downhole spectral gamma-ray logs) and sonic velocities from downhole logs to determine the geological heterogeneities affecting groundwater exchanges on the New Jersey shelf. Their work revealed evidence for a multi-layered reservoir/aquifer where waters with very low salinities (<3 g/L) were encountered at depths below sea floor exceeding 400 m and fresh and/or brackish-water intervals alternate vertically with salty water intervals on this passive margin.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX0UdPnodAsEuc0iXFKUYzSUxKahq3axEY_aRjx4Rk-MhNysGgbBXxlzLBzr_qzAa7n1nTcM4ZbYPNrBh0Qz9hwPahOGlMbQjtxgZekMX5B92iYdBG_rT7cuWsjr0v4JDM05MdHWUONqW/s1600/groundwater.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1280" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX0UdPnodAsEuc0iXFKUYzSUxKahq3axEY_aRjx4Rk-MhNysGgbBXxlzLBzr_qzAa7n1nTcM4ZbYPNrBh0Qz9hwPahOGlMbQjtxgZekMX5B92iYdBG_rT7cuWsjr0v4JDM05MdHWUONqW/s640/groundwater.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is also worth mentioning borehole gravity surveys, and here I must admit that I am a bit out of my area of expertise. Suffice to say though they are to gravity surveys what sonic logs are to seismic surveys <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: super;">[<a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" target="_blank">5</a>]</span>. For more information on borehole gravity surveys and their relationship to surface gravity surveys see Martin Kennedy’s book <i><a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" target="_blank">Practical Petrophysics</a></i> – Chapter 14: Geophysical Applications.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">
<u>
Further applications: </u></h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Downhole tools are becoming increasingly versatile with tools for magnetic susceptibility, fluid sampling, magnetisation and borehole imaging. Core-based petrophysics is also a rapidly expanding field with increasing commonality of chemical analysis such as XRF, hyperspectral imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy. Understanding of the data produced by these new tools is of increasing importance to academia and industry. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Petrophysics and its techniques can also aid in the fields of: </div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Contamination </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Remote sensing </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Soil and sediment science </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Geochemistry </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Hydrology and hydrogeology </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Geotechnical measurements </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And finally, what of geological models? Martin Kennedy makes a great point about this in his book <i><a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" target="_blank">Practical Petrophysics</a></i>. I’ll let his words speak for themselves: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
“The increasing use of software to build detailed 3D geological models [of reservoirs] has meant that petrophysics has to be properly integrated with the other sub-surface disciplines. The model builder needs to know what assumptions have gone into the creation of the petrophysical property curves and the petrophysicist needs to know that their results are being used appropriately. <b>Consequently a working knowledge of practical petrophysics is no longer just a ‘nice to have’</b>.” </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For ‘of reservoirs’ read any sedimentary basin, aquifer, impact crater, passive margin, mid-ocean ridge, obducted ophiolite, subduction zone, slow-slip zone – the opportunities are limitless. So if this has given you pause for thought and you are interested in knowing more, why not have a look into how petrophysics can benefit your science?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
References:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01927738/" target="_blank">Lofi, et al. 2017. Scientific Drilling, 24, pp.1-13.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/SPWLA-2004-PP" target="_blank">Ritter, et al.2004. SPWLA 45th Annual LoggingSymposium. Society ofPetrophysicists and Well-Log Analysts.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6314/878" target="_blank">Morgan, et al. 2016. Science 354 (6314),878-882.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/geosphere/article/9/4/1009/132611" target="_blank">Lofi, et al. 2013 Geosphere; August 2013;v. 9; no. 4; p. 1009–1024</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" target="_blank">Kennedy, 2015. Practicalpetrophysics (Vol. 62). Elsevier.</a></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-63444209255465949612019-04-12T09:07:00.000-07:002019-04-12T09:07:12.555-07:00Petrophysics is about much more than oil<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Petrophysics” is a term not widely used in academic circles
(at least in my experience), but it is one that is quite extensively used
within the language of the oil and gas industry. So what is petrophysics
exactly and what does it mean in an academic context? The summary that I most
commonly come across goes like this: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“<a href="https://iodp.rocks/petrophysics-summer-school/">Petrophysics is the study of the physical (and chemical) properties of rocks and their interactions with fluids, and integrates downhole insitu data from logs with core and seismic data</a>”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This is, in my view, a good definition. But I wanted to take
it a step further by exploring a little history. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Petrophysics is a term generally linked to downhole (well)
log measurements and their analysis (by petrophysicists) to evaluate rock
properties. The Schlumberger brothers ran <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_logging">the first well log</a> (or something
close to it) in 1927 when they
lowered an electric sonde down a well in Pechelbronn, Alsace, France to measure
electrical resistivity. This was the first “down hole” measurement of rock
properties using technology that Conrad Schlumberger had been developing since
1911. For a great history of the first well log and the road travelled by the
Schlumberger brothers to start the international company we know today, see the
<a href="https://www.slb.com/about/history/1920s.aspx">Schlumberger website</a> (definitely worth it for the pictures alone).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzpPPheBNkcSF38mdAYQNDxE7xafUFjWEM1BgNDzZQZPcQHsFjf-Ggww97nKr41toH_TTn9sQPA_gmWmhA2tQRFaLYT-XXxtTYn8ojN_vbjwU3gP3K204ZxgCPSlHQS78ZUIUBvMgqte1/s1600/The+first+well+log.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="137" data-original-width="839" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzpPPheBNkcSF38mdAYQNDxE7xafUFjWEM1BgNDzZQZPcQHsFjf-Ggww97nKr41toH_TTn9sQPA_gmWmhA2tQRFaLYT-XXxtTYn8ojN_vbjwU3gP3K204ZxgCPSlHQS78ZUIUBvMgqte1/s400/The+first+well+log.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first well log, September 5th 1927, Pechelbronn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So began the relationship between the rise of petrophysical
analysis techniques and the growth of the oil and gas industry. Technological
developments and new techniques have since stemmed from the needs of the
industry and petrophysics remains a tool most commonly used for describing and
analysing all aspects of the hydrocarbon system. In turn, this created a bias
in the available technologies, with the majority of tools (at least originally)
being designed for describing porous media and the quantities and nature of the
fluids they contain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRVTc_EZxXp_Cfdv16i9S2VdnyxgWSuMmWIWREeIoLqmalGFVxDBqF6rgJDofVAobp6izmgRZ1_zi4K8vlz9fX7sVzuEriUqaVsm2Dh6HWRD7-STqwi7JrtBrTxMAH6jBKK6lTr0XzAp0/s1600/Schlumberger+brothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="848" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRVTc_EZxXp_Cfdv16i9S2VdnyxgWSuMmWIWREeIoLqmalGFVxDBqF6rgJDofVAobp6izmgRZ1_zi4K8vlz9fX7sVzuEriUqaVsm2Dh6HWRD7-STqwi7JrtBrTxMAH6jBKK6lTr0XzAp0/s320/Schlumberger+brothers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Schlumberger brothers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
However. I would argue that, despite this ‘tool development’
the Schlumberger brothers are not the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fathers
of petrophysics</i>. I would argue that this title belongs to Gus Archie, the
author of two of the <a href="https://100years.aapg.org/top-100-papers-petrophysics-formation-evaluation">top 10 landmark papers in petrophysics and formation evaluation</a> - including the famous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Archie
equation</i> for determining water saturation <sup>[<a href="https://www.onepetro.org/journal-paper/SPE-942054-G">1</a>]</sup>. The Schlumberger
brothers were the first to develop and implement the technology, but it was
Archie who was the first to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">understand</i>
the data. In his book “<a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8">Practical Petrophysics</a>”, Martin Kennedy discusses the
history of the technique, stating that before Archie, petrophysical data were
primarily used for qualitative interpretation of the sub-surface, such as
identifying sands and sometimes distinguishing water and oil in pore space <sup>[<a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8">2</a>]</sup>.
It was Archie who, in 1938, was charged by Shell's Texas-Gulf area production
manager, D. B. Collins, with the task of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">understanding</i>
electrical logs <sup>[<a href="https://dokumen.tips/documents/50th-anniversary-of-the-archie-equation-archie-left-more-than-just-an-anniversary.html">3</a>]</sup>. And it was through this venture that Archie’s now-famous
equation appeared in 1942 followed by the Archie’s first published use of the
term “petrophysics” shortly thereafter in 1950 <sup>[<a href="http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1949-52/data/pg/0034/0005/0900/0943.htm">4</a>]</sup>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUhr71sJJtGdnsiglv-pgPbCP8yfbX5aiLJQrn6ZpLl2yqfrp-DJr5cHZ30HFcnCSSTz52bd42e4FlpCD4DyOC_h-O7Ev_ysclG2SOC21e8wrza7tNrOtWuBwHa46LeRd08J-EwTTEQ35/s1600/Gustave+Archie_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUhr71sJJtGdnsiglv-pgPbCP8yfbX5aiLJQrn6ZpLl2yqfrp-DJr5cHZ30HFcnCSSTz52bd42e4FlpCD4DyOC_h-O7Ev_ysclG2SOC21e8wrza7tNrOtWuBwHa46LeRd08J-EwTTEQ35/s320/Gustave+Archie_1.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gustave Erdman Archie (<a href="https://dokumen.tips/documents/50th-anniversary-of-the-archie-equation-archie-left-more-than-just-an-anniversary.html">source</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In his 1950 paper <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1949-52/data/pg/0034/0005/0900/0943.htm">Introduction to Petrophysics of Reservoir Rocks</a></i>, Archie describes petrophysics as: “A
term to express the physics of rocks. The term should be related to petrology
as much as geophysics is related to geology. ‘Petrophysics’ is suggested as the
term pertaining to the physics of particular rock types” <sup>[<a href="http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1949-52/data/pg/0034/0005/0900/0943.htm">4</a>]</sup>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s worth noting that this term may have been already used
informally at the time, but as the first published example, I believe Archie
should be credited with the definition. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So how does this definition differ? Martin Kennedy expands
the definition with an explanation: “As a pure science its [petrophysics’]
objective would probably be to explain <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">why
rocks have the properties they do</b>. In particular how the relative amounts
and arrangements of the minerals that comprise them determine their physical
properties.” <sup>[<a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8">2</a>]</sup> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<sup><br /></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is within this ‘<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i></b>‘ that I think academic
petrophysics can thrive. Petrophysics has its roots in understanding why rocks
exhibit the physics that they do, and this is not limited to sands and mudstones
(shales). While the majority of downhole tools are still biased toward
characterising reservoir (sandstones) and cap rocks (mudstones) for hydrocarbon
prospecting there are so many other useful tools, data and applications out
there where petrophysical analysis can make a major contribution (more on that
in the next blog). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All of the statements above are my own opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Laurence Phillpot <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><a href="https://www.onepetro.org/journal-paper/SPE-942054-G">Archie, G. E., 1942. The electricalresistivity log as an aid in determining some reservoir characteristics, Trans.AIME, 146, 54–67.</a></span></li>
<li><a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/practical-petrophysics/kennedy/978-0-444-63270-8" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Kennedy, M.,2015. Practical petrophysics (Vol. 62). Elsevier.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dokumen.tips/documents/50th-anniversary-of-the-archie-equation-archie-left-more-than-just-an-anniversary.html" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Thomas, E.C.,1992. 50th Anniversary of the Archie Equation: Archie Left More Than Just anEquation. Log Analyst May–June, 199-205.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/1949-52/data/pg/0034/0005/0900/0943.htm" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Archie, G.E.,1950. Introduction to petrophysics of reservoir rocks. AAPG bulletin, 34(5),pp.943-961.</a></li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-65401997130817675222017-12-20T13:27:00.000-08:002017-12-20T13:27:07.139-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: end of offshore....time for Bremen!<br />
<strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong><br />
<strong>View 8: offshore phase is complete so let's get ready for the onshore phase!</strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Pre-Pre-OSP took place at MARUM in Bremen 4-7 December 2017. Our
team (Sally, Malgorzata, <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">and</span> <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Nataliya)</span> set-up and tested Thermal
Conductivity (TC) equipment. The training on the <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">half-space</span> line source (HQL) and the full space line source (VLQ or
needle probe), including 2-phase measurement practice, was given by Lothar (a very
professional and creative technician from Aachen University). We went through
both methods but only a VLQ needle probe will be used for IODP Expedition 381
(Corinth Active Rift Development). We took time to familiarise with operating
procedures and even become Drilling Masters! TC equipment is now secured in the
reefer at MARUM for Christmas <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">holidays</span> waiting
for Pre-OSP in January.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc7CvhcYP6k1n-JkNVDNhm5JkhJOsrMt7C_XlN1XWpv0WwQHgJnWvg4Ot3tZ-vLixZlO56jztL2bAeoWO4CjB7JMNsjmu6GOXe_Iwxs5RyrHgCMNRhZki7iqZ07ElRurMQFaqn4IK1asp/s1600/P71205-123220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc7CvhcYP6k1n-JkNVDNhm5JkhJOsrMt7C_XlN1XWpv0WwQHgJnWvg4Ot3tZ-vLixZlO56jztL2bAeoWO4CjB7JMNsjmu6GOXe_Iwxs5RyrHgCMNRhZki7iqZ07ElRurMQFaqn4IK1asp/s320/P71205-123220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Malgorzata Bednarz and Lothar Ahrensmeier during thermal conductivity set-up (photo credit: Nataliya Denchik)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The training was very instructive with <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">a lot
of</span> notes taken during this week. Thanks for Malgorzata to complete
existing TC operating procedures and to create a new very useful TC manual!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">And Bremer Weinnachtsmarkt (Bremen Christmas Market) with over 170
decorated stalls was an ideal place for relaxing in the evenings. A lot of food
and drink to taste: different kind of sausages (Krakauer, Bratwurst, Rostbratwurst,
Bregenwurst…) as well as Beer and Glühwein (mulled wine, with rum for braves).</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-fareast-language: FR; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hjmm-ts6U1E_j_KO5117Ly_zrhQD5Rf6TzaR7gNq-7kkfm9UOXS0G9N3QsYNIimICo1gFjT5-BRAx9-lf5OkZwFelrPn7Fzwxs-A0sqolYedCNAgry2fVON4qEpNCINz2H7b1ic5cHBn/s1600/P71205-175346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hjmm-ts6U1E_j_KO5117Ly_zrhQD5Rf6TzaR7gNq-7kkfm9UOXS0G9N3QsYNIimICo1gFjT5-BRAx9-lf5OkZwFelrPn7Fzwxs-A0sqolYedCNAgry2fVON4qEpNCINz2H7b1ic5cHBn/s320/P71205-175346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bremer Weinnachtsmarkt (photo credit: Nataliya Denchik)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nataliya</div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-6201959827608582222017-12-08T12:11:00.001-08:002017-12-20T13:16:54.071-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: a brief update on several aspects of the petrophysics<strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong><br />
<strong>View 7: much closer to the end of the offshore phase</strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So this is like the blog title suggests………..a very brief
update! The offshore team have now completed the second site. While some of us in EPC are expecting a snowy weekend to come, the
offshore contingent are looking forward to a (probably!) quieter weekend than the
previous one. Last weekend, the second downhole logging was in full swing, and there were some challenges to keep it interesting. This is
where the Petrophysics Staff Scientist is simultaneously a very demanding but
very satisfying role, as it is essential to keep abreast of all developments
and be able to rapidly communicate these to all key players offshore, make
accurate decisions and coordinate the way forward to successfully acquiring
data downhole. We look forward to a future blog post summarising the logging but in the meantime, note
the concentration on the faces of the logging team!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCislHLoDkwkGP32cosHIpLQQ2ZfA1YqaI6Ml7Q0FN75Kfbx6sT9gSv1hpmnXy8etMrDk6LT1GlOe9r_eSfemfouP_i_dUPCATDtz6mURYX_9z3O_i6Y0LlqlNVp5wa9ZwXRv5itYZfncv/s1600/erwan_and_logging_engineer_geoff_talking_about_tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1600" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCislHLoDkwkGP32cosHIpLQQ2ZfA1YqaI6Ml7Q0FN75Kfbx6sT9gSv1hpmnXy8etMrDk6LT1GlOe9r_eSfemfouP_i_dUPCATDtz6mURYX_9z3O_i6Y0LlqlNVp5wa9ZwXRv5itYZfncv/s320/erwan_and_logging_engineer_geoff_talking_about_tools.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><o:p>Concentration during logging! (photo credit: L. Phillpot)</o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The MSCL has been uneventful. That is good, as this means
data acquisition of petrophysical properties on whole round cores is
progressing well. And again, there was time to measure cores for QAQC during
the downhole logging.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N0TltBC1bB7ldkJUMPvfrjui8uk3kMP2O0Q8wI9zkLFlZUo5cxD4P5yIH-SpcKPLUO8mrn1G92CDVoi537SrAlPKaOmWzlG0jbTygAZKcoT6v9_4JaDLjXm_0ACFtKfa6-TNvwe7H4O3/s1600/qaqc_core.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8N0TltBC1bB7ldkJUMPvfrjui8uk3kMP2O0Q8wI9zkLFlZUo5cxD4P5yIH-SpcKPLUO8mrn1G92CDVoi537SrAlPKaOmWzlG0jbTygAZKcoT6v9_4JaDLjXm_0ACFtKfa6-TNvwe7H4O3/s320/qaqc_core.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><o:p>QAQC core awaiting measurement on the MSCL (photo credit: L. Phillpot)</o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In other petrophysical expedition news, Sally, Malgorzata and
Nataliya (the latter being temporary IODP employees to help with measurements
onshore) were recently in Bremen to set up the first equipment ready for the
cores arriving back from the ship in January. Again, watch this space for more
details soon!</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jenny<o:p></o:p></span></span>European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-89274305517514722182017-11-21T21:59:00.000-08:002017-11-21T22:12:08.564-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: Life offshore<h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong> </strong></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>View 6: </strong></span><strong style="font-family: calibri;">Life offshore as a sea-going scientist </strong></h4>
<div>
<strong style="font-family: calibri;"><br /></strong></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’ve been at sea on <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/">IODP Expedition 381: Corinth Active Rift Development</a> for just over 5 weeks, and I thought it's about time I provided an update on life here. Regular visitors to this blog may have seen my previous “Corinth Active Rift Development: <a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/corinth-active-rift-development.html">the Expedition begins</a>” blog where I outlined what I have been doing with my time, so I won’t go into it now. But what is it like to keep an MSCL running 24 hours a day? Well to make things simpler to communicate I thought I’d break things down into my 5 repeated stages for an MSCL operator at sea: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">1. Waking up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Seems like an obvious place to start. When I’m at home getting out of bed and on my way to work is a simple half-an-hour task. Quick shower, quick bit of brekkie and that’s that. It’s a bit harder after you work 12 hours a day for 5 weeks. And have I mentioned the beds on the Fugro Synergy? It might just be the hours talking (although I don’t think so) but the beds here are super comfortable. The other factor is coffee-management. It’s easy to drink coffee because it helps so much with the long shifts. You've got to be careful you don’t disturb that sleep cycle though. When I first joined the vessel I was drinking one a day but this ramped up to 5 cups of coffee a day by week 4 on board. Since then I have kicked the habit and am now caffeine free. It’s the little things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXCzM7Llg-xqrwyUi1OOfSU52iFxRRdP7e-NILpv7z9U4MhynrAghmNG3AhixaiLJ2xqWjnuivnUUvP1KvDw4w_7QiC7xP5bZs7fx6ymhSFfZQBxLNvmSzQ2Dh79xfII1Jrf2m_YA4mJb/s1600/My+shared+cabin%252C+IODP+381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXCzM7Llg-xqrwyUi1OOfSU52iFxRRdP7e-NILpv7z9U4MhynrAghmNG3AhixaiLJ2xqWjnuivnUUvP1KvDw4w_7QiC7xP5bZs7fx6ymhSFfZQBxLNvmSzQ2Dh79xfII1Jrf2m_YA4mJb/s320/My+shared+cabin%252C+IODP+381.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My shared cabin onboard. Mine for 12 hours a day its pretty <br />
well equipped, though the TV doesn't work as a TV</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">2. Eating. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Meals are served for an hour and a half every 6 hours on the Synergy. And they are good. At least 4 options of hot mains provided every time and plenty of sides to accompany them. I have managed to limit myself to only 2 three course meals per day thus far but it has been a challenge. The food has changed throughout the cruise. Bananas and most of the other fresh fruit disappeared along with the most popular cereals and condiments. Somehow Nutella has lasted this long despite it being a very popular choice. Through what I can only assume is some sort of black magic fresh salad appeared a couple of weeks into the expedition at the same time as all of the apples were painted in wax; giving them a plastic and cartoonish appearance. However, after a quick wash they’re still fresh and crunchy on the inside. Fresh veg was replenished on board at the port call after the first site but we just repeated the cycle again with its disappearance. Very surreal. After this it’s time to don PPE and start my morning commute. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzg1-qUBIauIAvdetVSWLUVhFf3y3YIsK-HKC2lpMNiYrNfahSYodMPj9uqndTqfAFoN8ilXGoX9s533N0QvA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">3. Exercise. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The MSCL is built into a 20 foot container, so there’s no chance I’m doing star jumps between cores. It’s okay though the Synergy has a gym. It’s a simple gym with basic equipment (running machine, exercise bike, rowing machine, dumbbell set and a couple of those reclining chair/bench things). It’s more than enough for an end-of-the-day stretch. I have also started a 100-a-day press-up challenge with a few friends from home, and that is something that I can do between loading cores onto the MSCL! I’ve kept it up for three weeks so far and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGeP24-GWuFmyyRlfMqadBDSYR_ZpphY6jcFlQxIl-_RvFWKY-Migwg6kUmcCuiJernctYC8STJRS2xxZZhGZ_Lcb2R-8RbWrFIPSFRLOL8SaFQ2k7x-ehvK8tqkjIKnAYE49XngCASBr/s1600/The+onboard+gym.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGeP24-GWuFmyyRlfMqadBDSYR_ZpphY6jcFlQxIl-_RvFWKY-Migwg6kUmcCuiJernctYC8STJRS2xxZZhGZ_Lcb2R-8RbWrFIPSFRLOL8SaFQ2k7x-ehvK8tqkjIKnAYE49XngCASBr/s320/The+onboard+gym.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gym onboard </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">4. Sitting at the MSCL.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is where I spend the majority of my day. It’s a fine enough place to do it. Abah (my opposite shift partner) and I are the only scientists who have a whole container to ourselves (hence the press-ups), which has its positives and negatives. It’s alright though; we have a coffee machine so that is bringing in a lot of visitors nowadays. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Operating the MSCL as efficiently as possible to keep up with the recovery rate is best achieved by channelling your inner robot. Be an extension of the machine (Neo?). There are many steps that need to be taken in order to make sure that all data is recorded in a meaningful way and at that nothing is missed. This includes (but is not limited to) recording data at the correct time after the core has arrived on deck; QC-ing the curation process with the assistance of the MSCL’s built-in precision ball-screw core pusher and associated laser; and measuring temperature at all stages. The recovery rate thus far on Expedition 381 has been steady and we in the MSCL lab have mostly been able to keep up. That said, there’s a white-board pinned to one of the walls of the MSCL container and it has had become an extension of my brain. Most heavily used during the second half of the shift it’s especially helpful for staving off the post-lunch “I ate too much again” food-coma. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuMf8pA4wnByM_xJecNvnrAIJkUwinKVeWiDpQroKxxqGYGEhFaavFDo0N_SUxlbl2rE1pkSTQnKw4l5ufnLdb02A-PJSA5HkQ-UBYYeIsyotD7CKzs4rcyyXqPGxMaw3yf-8Kvq9ws8_/s1600/Waxed+apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuMf8pA4wnByM_xJecNvnrAIJkUwinKVeWiDpQroKxxqGYGEhFaavFDo0N_SUxlbl2rE1pkSTQnKw4l5ufnLdb02A-PJSA5HkQ-UBYYeIsyotD7CKzs4rcyyXqPGxMaw3yf-8Kvq9ws8_/s320/Waxed+apples.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A waxed apple with the MSCL in the background </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The most interesting thing I have learnt about operating the MSCL all day is how quickly my body adapts. The MSCL motor makes a whirring sound every time it moves and it moves all the time, never pausing for more than 30 seconds. In the first week I developed a 6th sense whereby I subconsciously count in 30 second periods. I don’t know, maybe it came from watching the MSCL for so long, but now if I go for more than 30 seconds without hearing that sound I subconsciously know something requires my attention. It’s really rather cool. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">5. Scratching my head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 5th and final task where time is allocated in any day is time allocated to scratching my head. There are a lot of questions raised when you are on the front-lines of scientific discovery, so I spend a more significant portion of my day than usual in quiet contemplation as I troubleshoot unexpected values and strange data points. Despite the MSCL producing a tremendous amount of high-resolution data very quickly we still have a task on our hands processing it to output a high quality (and usable!) dataset. That’s not to say that we have discovered everything there is to see so far already, far from it. After all, we are only one cog in the engine and this is only the first half of the expedition. We will need to wait to see the rest of the puzzle pieces when we split the cores at the Onshore Science Party in a couple of months. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And that’s pretty much what I do daily while I am here. Rinse and repeat. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Laurence </span>European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-75116189278490014882017-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:002017-11-21T03:32:34.499-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: first hole complete!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>View 5: what does everyone else do during logging?<o:p></o:p></strong></span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So the first logging operations were completed over the
weekend………….but I am only blogging about this now because unlike those offshore
I don’t have to work all weekend! However, all of the team onshore are always on
call to answer any queries that the offshore team have and are very good at
sending virtual chocolate supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Downhole logging takes place once coring has finished in a
borehole (ok this can be a simplification but applies to the first hole in
<a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/">Corinth Active Rift Development: Expedition 381</a>).
And logging can take several days, with different toolstrings and different stages,
especially when borehole conditions throw up challenges, such as was the case
for this borehole. For anyone impatient, here is a photo from early on in the logging
operations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW_Jz5DA_47lnvLCSpgT3Zo5RxjKF4L0DUaL4RFb3rix7ratPtEocIrJ6uudO7crrb5hWcLX-ae_wafMRYgysKzJHU3Q9YO6LZf657VIzg5DaHNhqWgaQNxU5BNPntcB0FavdIY9jZ8ma/s1600/almost_at_the_bottom_of_the_hole__sgr__soni__cali__masus_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuW_Jz5DA_47lnvLCSpgT3Zo5RxjKF4L0DUaL4RFb3rix7ratPtEocIrJ6uudO7crrb5hWcLX-ae_wafMRYgysKzJHU3Q9YO6LZf657VIzg5DaHNhqWgaQNxU5BNPntcB0FavdIY9jZ8ma/s320/almost_at_the_bottom_of_the_hole__sgr__soni__cali__masus_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Laurent Brun and Erwan Le Ber early on in logging the first
hole. credit: L. Phillpot<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What does everyone else do while this is happening? Well, of
course supply the loggers with chocolate………</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As this is a petrophysics blog, you will have to check out
the <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/">Expedition blog</a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
to find out what other participants do, but here I can discuss how EPC’s
Laurence and Abah from the Science Party spent their time. Did they put their
feet up and relax? No, certainly not, the gap in core arriving on the ship is
often time for the hard-working MSCL operators to catch up on any backlog that
has accumulated. Here, as Laurence and Abah had that under control they had
plenty of time to run quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) cores
through the MSCL to provide checks on the data being acquired and ensure that
all sensors are operating to their optimum efficiency. This process is achieved
both by using specially selected cores to act as QAQC cores, but also by using
the calibration pieces that are prepared in the liners used for each specific
expedition.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEpnXH3JHIU4UraiusPdv6BYDYQVzT0MKFmNA-tmdmVwDqxYuVdTCttQs-9XpCz0CL_r54rx7lV0g-NJ-cd-ZRw1MwvL35hDQ27PLgalvSNyNC21DpNnY_4GS6oBfx2ebHeq5KnI5cZJK/s1600/laurence+making+calibration+pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEpnXH3JHIU4UraiusPdv6BYDYQVzT0MKFmNA-tmdmVwDqxYuVdTCttQs-9XpCz0CL_r54rx7lV0g-NJ-cd-ZRw1MwvL35hDQ27PLgalvSNyNC21DpNnY_4GS6oBfx2ebHeq5KnI5cZJK/s320/laurence+making+calibration+pieces.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Laurence Phillpot preparing calibration pieces for the MSCL.
credit: E. Le Ber<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="clear: both; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In summary the Petrophysics team have had a busy few days! What is really enjoyable once the team have both core petrophysical and logging data is tying this together, analysing correlations and identifying where gaps or questions in one dataset can be answered by studying another, and of course starting talks with other scientists about the data that continue into the onshore phase (in Bremen in February 2018) and beyond.</span></span></span></span></div>
</span> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span></span> <div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
Jenny</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-65396269004434635002017-11-07T03:28:00.000-08:002017-11-07T03:32:02.799-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: petrophysical measurements in the first borehole<strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong><br />
<strong>View 4: looking forwards to the first downhole logging</strong><br />
<br />
The petrophysical measurements that are taken offshore include both petrophysical measurements on the recovered core and measurements taken <em>in situ</em> in the borehole by downhole tools. The core measurements on the first hole of the expedition are well underway and we are excited that the first logging is due to take place fairly soon. The next blog post will contain news from offshore on this!<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/corinth-active-rift-development.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a> introduced the <a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/facilities-1" target="_blank">Geotek™ Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL)</a>, which is a piece of equipment that EPC staff and those scientist who operate it offshore become very familiar with, and on <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/" target="_blank">Corinth Active Rift Development: IODP Expedition 381</a>, EPC’s Laurence and Abah from the science party are working in opposite 12 hour shifts. The MSCL has sensors measuring magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, P-wave velocity, gamma density, and natural gamma radiation, each of which have their own special ways in which they contribute to the expedition aims. Offshore these measurements are also helpful in providing the petrophysics team with some prior understanding of the borehole before downhole logging commences.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi48b4oZKrv1MaUCTTLPTFcMBbeWaoS2NlNrtKv9q40uNr59CUlp7wFnhslmFKoh4j4Rk-vz-o3JgXv5q_aXp6rXlQYDMnaxjgVj_S7WkLF50pgfmR0kriQJxHdpUVjc_muu3cmBEtBD5/s1600/abahlaurence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi48b4oZKrv1MaUCTTLPTFcMBbeWaoS2NlNrtKv9q40uNr59CUlp7wFnhslmFKoh4j4Rk-vz-o3JgXv5q_aXp6rXlQYDMnaxjgVj_S7WkLF50pgfmR0kriQJxHdpUVjc_muu3cmBEtBD5/s320/abahlaurence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Laurence Phillpot introducing Abah Omale to the expedition MSCL logsheets. (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">credit: E. Le Ber)</span></span><br />
<br />
The downhole logging measurements plan and operation is coordinated by the Expedition Petrophysics Staff Scientist, Erwan, requiring detailed discussions offshore with the operational team, the Expedition Co-chief Scientists and the logging engineers. In a perfect formation, in a perfect hole, logging is straightforward and each tool can be run in open hole down to the bottom and measure all parts of the borehole. That can and does happen! By this phase of the operation, analysis of the MSCL measurements and observation of the lithologies recovered can help to inform the logging program in this first hole. Where parts of the hole are anticipated to be less than perfect (which also can and does happen!), the logging team consider options such as logging the hole in more than one phase. Again, watch for the next blog post to find out more about the first downhole logging from <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/" target="_blank">Corinth Active Rift Development: IODP Expedition 381</a> …………. or if you can’t wait for that, check out the recent articles on the <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Expedition 381 blog</a>!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0vntLPAoqrQqdyQfMymzLbzYFPZGMhGl-U0n6VRt15qFiiw916RMySXHLFIcNKMcYGOe49XlPK0KVPffIUWPxXHWTZahDoAT0xgqG-A7iV9TGO9j1bulIY6wiAdM6dUD-ef2HpEVL4qM/s1600/testingloggingtools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0vntLPAoqrQqdyQfMymzLbzYFPZGMhGl-U0n6VRt15qFiiw916RMySXHLFIcNKMcYGOe49XlPK0KVPffIUWPxXHWTZahDoAT0xgqG-A7iV9TGO9j1bulIY6wiAdM6dUD-ef2HpEVL4qM/s320/testingloggingtools.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Laurent Brun and Erwan Le Ber testing logging tools. (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">credit: L. Phillpot)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><br />
JennyEuropean Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-56135504958467859352017-10-24T04:24:00.001-07:002017-11-07T03:32:11.738-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: the expedition begins<strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong><br />
<strong>View 3: second petrophysics blog from the ship</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So the time
has come, the boat is fuelled, the labs are fully prepared and we are all ready
to depart from the port in Corinth to our first site in the gulf. Very soon I
will be bobbing up and down on the Gulf of Corinth as we drill into the seabed
below us in an attempt to discover how it would’ve looked to witness the gulf
appear over the past 5 million years (more on the expedition aims </span><a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/corinth-active-rift-development-view_18.html" style="mso-comment-date: 20171021T0904; mso-comment-reference: l_1;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">).</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UUj-QeenQog-CxODb5Gq4_8nq9OkJ0C8-1lnbMfzOUt3lyyOpbEmM5VXnbSJeO-wdXy-qAqn6SYmI7iDilP0UKjlVFQAhMtiTsQ3UMauqwZGKG09gSFbNg8w8Got13UqushxG9dbzRhj/s1600/Sunrise+on+the+day+of+departure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UUj-QeenQog-CxODb5Gq4_8nq9OkJ0C8-1lnbMfzOUt3lyyOpbEmM5VXnbSJeO-wdXy-qAqn6SYmI7iDilP0UKjlVFQAhMtiTsQ3UMauqwZGKG09gSFbNg8w8Got13UqushxG9dbzRhj/s320/Sunrise+on+the+day+of+departure.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sunrise on the day of departure</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: small;">The offshore
team has now expanded as we have been </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">joined by a <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/2017/10/21/offshore-science-party-ready-to-start/" target="_blank">subgroup</a> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: small;">of
the scientists from the science party involved in this project. 9 of the 31
total. These scientists will be assisting with running the labs offshore and
completing some of the initial analysis and sampling. The job is not a too
privileged position though since the cores won’t be split until they reach the
Onshore Science Party (OSP) in Bremen, Germany, during January of 2018. Since
there is a little delay between recovery and full analysis of the cores, all of
the ephemeral properties of the sediments (those that degrade in quality with
time) and essential sampling (drilling mud, pore water, microbiology etc.) will
be completed with the help of these 9 scientists on the vessel within the first
hours of recovery. As one would expect, the doubling of the team size has
affected the group dynamic on board the vessel. However the thing to remember
about these 9 new team members is that they are all heavily invested in the
science and will be completing research using the data produced by this
project, each with their individual spins and focuses. This aspect defines the change.
All 9 are all so passionate about the work and excited to be here. It’s
infectious.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3tZf8P5a_toInxtAM9dPL8VlExKEQTTdefS0KTZvcuHQgEAP7H5q1T84HVlvr1IU9a7l1KsvfUGpkSiB4XOBlN0CJMDAaGFRdGj64VpM1KHsSm5TDnAv3iT73fgIKbTs_oB_rvUPjqZU/s1600/The+Synergy+at+port+in+Corinth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3tZf8P5a_toInxtAM9dPL8VlExKEQTTdefS0KTZvcuHQgEAP7H5q1T84HVlvr1IU9a7l1KsvfUGpkSiB4XOBlN0CJMDAaGFRdGj64VpM1KHsSm5TDnAv3iT73fgIKbTs_oB_rvUPjqZU/s320/The+Synergy+at+port+in+Corinth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">The <em>Fugro Synergy</em> at port in Corinth</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: small;">Owing to all
this, my next two months will be very different from the usual 9-5 office job.
So what will I be doing for this time? I will be working on the opposite 12
hour shift to my work partner to ensure 24 hour continual operation of the </span><a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/facilities-1" style="mso-comment-date: 20171023T0209; mso-comment-reference: l_1;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Multi-SensorCore Logger</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">.
The Multi Sensor Core Logger (or MSCL) is an apparatus that measures ephemeral
physical properties of rock and sediment cores, now I know that sounds boring
when I explain it like that in full but bear with me. The Geotek™ system that I
will be using is a fully automated track system where the cores themselves are
moved through stationary sensors rather than there being moving sensors or
probes. The process is almost fully automatic and generates masses of data at a
great resolution. It really is very cool piece of kit.</span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvqgNyKjmasrFgd6xnmOQOy4jNWrz8vcKelTgqBY-xgYDYXRcO_2UUMJLp71NvqSaVEzSasnCVgbHNZG-UaWfFH3vC2xswX7MDAX5zZQl5XeeKnioY38kASPri0NIK5rddLUbcKbQXuG8/s1600/MSCL+Lab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvqgNyKjmasrFgd6xnmOQOy4jNWrz8vcKelTgqBY-xgYDYXRcO_2UUMJLp71NvqSaVEzSasnCVgbHNZG-UaWfFH3vC2xswX7MDAX5zZQl5XeeKnioY38kASPri0NIK5rddLUbcKbQXuG8/s320/MSCL+Lab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">MSCL lab</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This will
not the first time that I have used one, personally I have used this system
before as well as using similar systems on other projects such as the Geotek
XYZ system during the onshore phase of </span><a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/expeditions/iodp-expeditions-2014-2015" style="mso-comment-date: 20171023T0208; mso-comment-reference: l_1;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">IODP expedition 357</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">:
Atlantis Massif; and using <a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/facilities-1" target="_blank">EPC’s bespoke MSCL</a>: Fast-track for training during
the </span><a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/summerschool16" style="mso-comment-date: 20171023T0208; mso-comment-reference: l_2;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Petrophysics Summer School 2016</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
and </span><a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/summerschool17" style="mso-comment-date: 20171023T0208; mso-comment-reference: l_3;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Petrophysics Summer School 2017</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So what does
the MSCL do exactly and what is my (and my scientist partner’s) job as the
operator? Well to be perfectly honest it is fairly simple to understand and
operate if you have a basic understanding of material properties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 5 properties that it measures in order are
density, p-wave velocity, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and
natural gamma radiation. Density is fairly self-explanatory. The MSCL though
records electron density which is almost exactly the same as bulk density for the
suite of elements that make up rock-forming minerals. P-wave velocity describes
the speed with which an acoustic pulse (or sound wave) travels through a
material, the electrical resistivity of a material is the inverse of its
electrical conductivity and natural gamma radiation simply describes the
natural gamma radiation output of the rock or sediment. Magnetic susceptibility
on the other hand is bit less straightforward. It is most simply described as
the degree by which a rock can be magnetised by an external magnetic field and
in sedimentology it is most widely used to infer clay proportions in sand
through the recognition of iron content. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My job as
operator of the MSCL is to ensure that it is running and continually logging
core for the full 12 hours of my shift, with my partner taking care of the
other half of the day. This is important because the logger can complete
measurements on 3 metres of core in just over 1 hour and therefore only keeps
up with everything else if it is operating 24/7. It’s a busy task but we have
air conditioning, speakers and a coffee machine in the container to make sure
that we are comfortable and sufficiently caffeinated. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If all goes
to plan this expedition will recover over 1500 m of core from the Gulf of
Corinth. And that’s a busy MSCL (and busy operator!). </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Where I will
be working for the next couple of months is just the one of the many labs on Main
Street. There are also labs for curation, geochemistry and a combined science
office for microscopy, visual core description, palaeontology and
core-log-seismic integration. But for more info on those labs keep an eye on
the </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/what-happens-on-halloween/" target="_blank">Expedition 381 blog</a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: comment;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">over
the coming months. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Laurence</span></span></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-83690405793116997942017-10-18T10:11:00.002-07:002017-11-07T03:32:20.261-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: a view from the ship<strong>IODP Expedition 381</strong><br />
<strong>View 2: first petrophysics blog from the ship</strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">IODP Expedition 381,
the latest Mission-Specific Platform proposal to be initialised, represents the
next location on ECORDs sea-bed exploration map. Located in the Gulf of
Corinth, Greece, it is the site of at least three carefully placed boreholes
designed to resolve some of the biggest questions science currently has about
newly forming continental rifts. Continental rifts, the most famous of which in
the geological world is probably the East African Rift, are one result when
continental plates decide to split and diverge from one another. Unlike the
East African Rift, the one here in Corinth is only ~5 million years old (a geological
baby), but it is already deep enough to be filling with water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So what are
the questions Expedition 381 is looking to answer? Well firstly, how do syn-rift faults
evolve? How is strain (re-)distributed in the crust throughout this process,
and how does the landscape surrounding the rift respond in the first couple of
million years? The Corinth rift is the perfect place to study these questions
since, as previously mentioned, its only 5 million years young. Furthermore it
is the fastest opening rift globally at its fastest point at 15 mm/yr and averaging
at 11 mm/yr across its length. In addition it is a region of intense
seismicity, with a dense seismic database to inform drilling and fault
placement. And that, in a nutshell, is the premise of IODP Expedition 381: Corinth
Active Rift development. I’m not going to go into it any further, but if you’re
of a scientific mind and you wish to look further into the expedition’s
specific scientific aims or get some detail on the expected recovery then you
can read the project <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/" target="_blank">proposal</a> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
and its associated addendum. Or if you would prefer an easier read with all the
same information you can follow the <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Expedition 381 blog</a> <span style="color: #0461c1; line-height: 115%;">
</span>updated regularly by the scientists on the ship. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Actually I
should mention as an aside at this point, there are all sorts of IODP
expeditions planned for the future in just about every sub-theme of marine and
seafloor research you can imagine and all <a href="https://www.iodp.org/proposals/active-proposals" target="_blank">IODP proposals</a> are available to
explore</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">.
Or if you would like you can submit your own. Just an idea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So to the
matter at hand, what view do I get in the morning? I get this:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivc8nz7ev0vZewQ3F3WuIJnCxMbexPhWic6A1mEdgMzSVuuzcq3NEZ0jT3qS8JQft2g9er7DnuG4s7kKrfe7I2HLDbGuFRIoZ3GEmnvRv3FNJTJ8hMWp4wzxbPa1PxCRUfnD8b3JUw75Jn/s1600/My+view+first+thing_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivc8nz7ev0vZewQ3F3WuIJnCxMbexPhWic6A1mEdgMzSVuuzcq3NEZ0jT3qS8JQft2g9er7DnuG4s7kKrfe7I2HLDbGuFRIoZ3GEmnvRv3FNJTJ8hMWp4wzxbPa1PxCRUfnD8b3JUw75Jn/s320/My+view+first+thing_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: first view of the morning on the night shift (credit L Phillpot)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am on the night shift for this expedition, working from
midnight through to midday to keep the </span><a href="https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/facilities-1/equipment-facilities" style="mso-comment-date: 20171018T1044; mso-comment-reference: l_1;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Multi-Sensor Core Logger</span></a><!--[if !supportAnnotations]--><span style="font-family: "calibri";">
running in 24 hour operation. I know this morning view is not the most
inspiring but if I wait just a few hours for the sun to poke its head over the
horizon then I am often greeted with something much more spectacular.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhvhZJxw83jQfK1yA2x47rtvPVSd-3KrHsAM3J8kvpVowjThnaViOHl3bUGJeKseXmK5GU6Te7tbsUigMnJF4Su5wNvbZGNf5g7j2XUH1wyP-f4i_fJI1k0Iir5k607hsRe5JSU9iXb8A/s1600/Sunrise+in+transit+from+Malta_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1000" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhvhZJxw83jQfK1yA2x47rtvPVSd-3KrHsAM3J8kvpVowjThnaViOHl3bUGJeKseXmK5GU6Te7tbsUigMnJF4Su5wNvbZGNf5g7j2XUH1wyP-f4i_fJI1k0Iir5k607hsRe5JSU9iXb8A/s320/Sunrise+in+transit+from+Malta_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Photo: sunrise on first morning at sea on transit from Malta to Corinth (credit L Phillpot)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This view was not a bad introduction to the Mediterranean in fall. However, for
those of you with keen eyes, a plastic bottle can be seen in the bottom left bobbing
past us as we travel through the middle of the Mediterranean. A sad reminder of
the impacts of plastic waste and disposal throughout the world’s oceans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As for other
sights, I get some cracking views of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fugro
Synergy</i> with its derrick all lit-up at night, and probably the calmest
views of “Main Street” that I will get for the next 2 months. “Main Street” is
the name that we give to the walkway between the entrances of the ECORD
containerised labs and offices. All the offshore science happens on “Main
Street” from sampling and curation to geochemistry, petrophysics, microscopy
and initial analysis. When we are in full swing and the core recovery rate is
high, it will be a bustling hive of activity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlRR0WlvR-lIq_loXNVIegx0nydsySV6C4wlHOgmqevCZWR-HtlZN__yQTsb2A-R7UHPvtJ5poUkrLrnatyzmGO400peQbiTTLMfWI39Yz8r73iRn1VDhLUJ98yTlFDhk6SL4ELExSEhp/s1600/Main+Street_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1000" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlRR0WlvR-lIq_loXNVIegx0nydsySV6C4wlHOgmqevCZWR-HtlZN__yQTsb2A-R7UHPvtJ5poUkrLrnatyzmGO400peQbiTTLMfWI39Yz8r73iRn1VDhLUJ98yTlFDhk6SL4ELExSEhp/s320/Main+Street_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Photo: view of "Main Street" (credit L Phillpot)</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: small;">At the time
of writing the vessel is now in Greek waters and about to make its port-call in
Corinth to collect all those scientists who will be sailing with us for the
next two months as we explore early continental rift processes in ways that
they have never been explored before.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Laurence <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->
<!--[endif]-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-52765770324745978122017-10-17T04:20:00.003-07:002017-11-07T03:31:44.606-08:00Corinth Active Rift Development: a view from the office<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: small;">IODP Expedition 381</span></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">View 1: introduction<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This morning is my first time in the empty office since my
colleagues Erwan Le Ber and Laurence Phillpot departed for adventures offshore
on <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/">Corinth Active RIft Development: IODP Expedition 381</a> as the Expedition Petrophysics Staff Scientist and EPC
Petrophysicist respectively. One of the tasks I am looking forward to while
they are offshore is explaining some of the exciting downhole logging and core
petrophysical measurements in near-real time.<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">The Corinth Active Rift development is the eight
Mission Specific Platform (MSP) Expedition and the seventh since I joined the
EPC team at Leicester. Both Erwan and Laurence previously sailed offshore on the
highly </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">successful <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition364/" target="_blank">Chixculub K-Pg Impact Crater: IODP Expedition 364</a> (refer to earlier blog posts). This experience
helps the team be excited for the work ahead and ready for the challenges each
expedition throws up that are unique.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJSe4zpN95rxOgJhoZRb7v7L6hXn_GwBiRTmFUDDK6l_fei7YuNkc5_jqQwDbS5UHfBsPcyA008eC-_rXR1ic6rW3KlFS4YafGXJ5hwxEDoM_a7q45Vba-hleXercA0HIwdeciojCzVDe/s1600/20171017_090203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJSe4zpN95rxOgJhoZRb7v7L6hXn_GwBiRTmFUDDK6l_fei7YuNkc5_jqQwDbS5UHfBsPcyA008eC-_rXR1ic6rW3KlFS4YafGXJ5hwxEDoM_a7q45Vba-hleXercA0HIwdeciojCzVDe/s320/20171017_090203.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: the actual view from my office this morning, but this
is less petrophysically interesting than a picture from offshore (unless you
really like trees and squirrels), so the next blog update will feature a view
from Erwan or Laurence on the drillship <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fugro
Synergy</i>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The ship set sail from Malta yesterday and is on route to meet the scientists in Corinth. Watch this space!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the meantime, for more information see the <a href="http://www.ecord.org/expedition381/" target="_blank">Expedition 381 webpage<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong><em></em></strong></span></a> or the <a href="https://esoexp381corinthactiveriftdevelopment.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Expedition 381 blog</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: small;">Jenny</span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span>European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-74023824804845469072017-10-05T00:48:00.000-07:002017-10-05T00:53:27.392-07:00<h2>
<!-- x-tinymce/html --><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Fly on the Wall at the Summer School</span><strong><br /></strong></h2>
Between the 2nd and 7th of July 2017, students, academics and industry professionals flocked to the University of Leicester for the 2nd Petrophysics Summer School in order to learn more about the fundamentals and applications of petrophysics. The cohort of participants, which numbered 30, had travelled from 27 institutions, and represented a plethora of nationalities and cultures, but had come together centred on the common interest in petrophysics. To lead this summer school, 19 tutors had been brought in from 10 organisations, including the European Petrophysics Consortium (EPC), ALS Petrophysics, BP, Imperial College London, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) and Schlumberger. Amongst these tutors were the University of Leicester’s very own Sarah Davies, Erwan Le Ber, Laurence Phillpot, Tim Pritchard and, the organiser of the summer school, Sally Morgan. The summer school itself was sponsored, with generosity, by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), the London Petrophysical Society (LPS), Aberdeen Formation Evaluation Society (AFES) and the UK International Ocean Discovery Program (UK IODP). Kind contributions to the school were also given by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and Weatherford, and over half of the participants received financial support to facilitate their attendance from IODP entities: the United States Science Support Program, ECORD, and UK IODP, with the goal of training the next generation of scientists.<br />
Day 0: Saturday evening saw the programme kick off with an ice-breaker party in the King Richard III Visitor Centre in the heart of Leicester. Here the participants were greeted with a gift bag containing a range of goodies as well as their work folders for the week. After being taken to the King’s Hall, the participants were free to mingle and ‘break the ice’ in the informal setting where refreshments eased some of the awkward tension. Both guided and unguided tours of the centre ensued and people could see the most famous parking spot in the UK – the grave site of Richard III.<br />
Day 1: Sunday was a day of laying the foundation of the participants’ understanding of scientific ocean research drilling and offshore operations. Lectures were given throughout the day, interspersed with regular refuelling breaks, where coffee and biscuits were among the offerings, and a large spread was put on for lunch. The regular breaks also gave the participants a chance to view one another’s research posters. Prior to a mini conference, Leicester’s Tim Pritchard gave a thought-provoking talk on the future of petrophysics in which participants were encouraged to imagine the possibilities from a multi-disciplinary standpoint. The mini conference gave participants a chance to introduce themselves via 2-minute elevator-style talks, and to present their research via poster presentations. This really displayed the diversity of backgrounds that people had come from, with research presented covering a vast range of topics (the effects of microbes in CCS to a sedimentological study of the Mercia Mudstone Group in Ireland), using a huge range of analytical methods (including, GPR, XRD and <em>P- </em>and<em> S</em>-wave measurement) and being applied to numerous geological situations. This thirsty work was compensated for by a wine reception during the final poster session. The end of the day heralded a chance for the participants to explore the new, and to some, very unusual and unfamiliar city. A large group travelled over to the Old Horse pub (a favourite drinking establishment of the Leicester Geology Department) and then to a local curry house on Queens Road to sample the curries that Leicester is so famous for.<br />
Day 2: Strong coffee was available for the early start. Prior to lunch were the rigorous lectures of petrophysics 101 delivered by Imperial College’s Pete Fitch, giving the participants a solid grounding in the fundamentals of the subject. Lunch was followed by a session on core processing workflows by Ingrid Paola Tello Guerrero of ALS Petrophysics, from the well site to laboratory reports. BP’s Sam Matthews rounded off the afternoon with an interactive session on estimating hydrocarbons in place, allowing the participants to put what they had learned into perspective and understand the real-world application. In the evening an optional lecture was given by Rebecca Bell (Imperial College London) about the science behind a couple of upcoming IODP expeditions (372 and 375) that will be exploring the Hikurangi subduction margin. Such optional evening lectures are a long-standing tradition at Leicester and the summer schoolers followed the Leicester evening lecture format by continuing discussions about the talk (and the day’s activities more generally) at the pub.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="pss17_1" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-395" height="282" src="https://iodpdotrocks.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/pss17_1.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Participants completing a log response exercise during a morning session. (Credit, Erwan Le Ber).</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Day 3: On Tuesday, participants took a break from the University-based classroom work and went on an excursion. The morning was spent with Weatherford at their Reeves Wireline Technologies facility in East Leake, where participants could see the origins, research and development, and use of some downhole logging equipment in a state-of-the-art facility. Following this, participants were travelled to the BGS in Keyworth where they enjoyed a packed lunch to tie them over for their visit to the BGS Core Store. This visit was guided by University of Leicester’s Sarah Davies, who had prepared a logging exercise that allowed the participants, to get up close and personal with the core, comparing the lithological packages (from a range of environments, both subaerial and subaqueous) with petrophysical log responses. Participants appeared to be very impressed with the sheer volume of core stored at Keyworth and were also somewhat captivated by a topographic sandbox also at the facility. Many attendees purchased souvenir specimens from fantastic on-site BGS shop. During the evening everyone got into the 4<sup>th </sup>of July spirit with an American-inspired meal and drinks at Meatcure in the centre of Leicester, an ideal period of down time after a day of such intense study.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="pss17_2" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-396" height="351" src="https://iodpdotrocks.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/pss17_2.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prof. Sarah Davies giving a tutorial to participants, comparing lithologies to log responses at the BGS’s Keyworth core storage facility (Credit, Erwan Le Ber).</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Day 4: The field-trip and evening of the previous day had given participants a renewed vigour and people were ready to press on with the work. Wednesday saw their initial introduction to Schlumberger’s Techlog. After a shaky start due to some minor issues with loading data into the software, participants worked through a series of exercises, designed to familiarise them with the interface and Techlog’s capability. The day provided essential groundwork for more complex case studies in the following days. Another bonus evening lecture rounded off the day, this time given by Leicester’s own Mike Lovell entitled ‘Petrophysics in the Kitchen’. Armed with beers the group were treated to a lecture about the everyday uses of petrophysical principles including audience participation involving glasses of milk and chocolate bars.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="pss17_3" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-397" height="266" src="https://iodpdotrocks.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/pss17_3.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Participants getting hands-on experience with Schlumberger's Techlog (Credit, Erwan Le Ber)</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Day 5: Over the course of Thursday, participants were given further training in Techlog through several extended sessions including exercises on acoustics and borehole images, and core-log-seismic integration from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Gilles Guerin and Angela Slagle, respectively. As had become typical during the summer school, sessions were punctuated by regular and well deserved coffee breaks. Despite the demanding day of work, everyone made it to New Walk Museum for drinks and an informal tour around the museum’s Geology wing given by Tom Harvey, a paleobiologist and lecturer at Leicester University.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="pss17_5" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-399" height="299" src="https://iodpdotrocks.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/pss17_5.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Group Photo Op at New Walk Museum, the ‘Rutland Dinosaur’ making up the backdrop (Credit, Erwan Le Ber)</span></div>
<br />
<br />
The Leicester-themed evening continued with a three course meal and drinks at a local curry house generously sponsored by UK IODP. Towards the end of the meal, prizes and acceptance speeches were given to and from those who won the poster and elevator pitch popular votes and the more formally adjudicated poster competition. Dessert rounded off a pleasant evening, and the group slowly turned in for the night in preparation for the final day of petrophysics training.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="pss17_4" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-398" height="266" src="https://iodpdotrocks.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/pss17_4.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dr. Sally Morgan, organiser of the summer school, handing out awards for popular voted elevator pitches and posters as well as the adjudicated poster competition (Credit, Erwan Le Ber)</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Day 6: Friday morning gave the group a chance to put their Techlog training to the test, with IODP and shale gas industry case studies. Participants had found the training to be very useful discovering that the software was user-friendly once they understood how to navigate the interface. After lunch there was a free session in which participants could get some unconstrained leisurely use of the software and review any of the things covered in the course to that point. The final session of the summer school was given by Erwan Le Ber and taught participants how to design their own logging plan using IODP Expedition 364, Chicxulub K-Pg impact crater as a case study. The week and the summer school were brought to close by a final thanks and farewell by Sally Morgan, the organiser of the summer school, in which participants received their certificates, including acknowledgement of them having completed 36 hours of CPD-accredited training.<br />
<br />
Joshua SmilesEuropean Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-89913032130917855482016-11-02T03:47:00.003-07:002016-11-03T06:04:51.777-07:00Fun and flare in phys propsNot only am I new to the blogging world, I am also new to International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions. On that basis, I would like to share with you my time with EPC, working on their most recent IODP expedition, Expedition 364: Chicxulub K-Pg Impact Crater. Expedition 364 started in Mexico 6 months ago to discover the secrets of the dinosaur- killing asteroid impact that occurred 66 million years ago; and if you’re interested why, find out <a href="http://petrophysicsworld.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/chicxulubs-peak-ring-exceptional.html" target="_blank">here</a>. No expedition more exciting than that, right?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifptLlI7RhMvCGE8ci1gJmJtA5icV4gYsy8d0K2N925XJdumUCqZsoLc5m14W3tgAl4HF3UhN4UaJbTwImtTfiF1qIOjKScHSTqClFaikhVpcmIIWZZePVnsF2IuKAssNOjzd0IIizESOR/s1600/EPC+Team+364+OSP+%2540EChenot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifptLlI7RhMvCGE8ci1gJmJtA5icV4gYsy8d0K2N925XJdumUCqZsoLc5m14W3tgAl4HF3UhN4UaJbTwImtTfiF1qIOjKScHSTqClFaikhVpcmIIWZZePVnsF2IuKAssNOjzd0IIizESOR/s320/EPC+Team+364+OSP+%2540EChenot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EPC team at Bremen Core Repository</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So this has been a fairly well-documented expedition, and there are many blogs out there which outline the <a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">scientific details of the expedition</a>, through to documentation of how to decide how many pairs of pants you will need for the duration of the offshore expedition. However, my perspective of the Expedition 364 Onshore Science Party (OSP) is slightly different to most. As mentioned before, I am new to the IODP world, but I think this provides a unique perspective and so I would like to share with you my experiences, and what I took away from my very first OSP.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR2mPb7sLl0npdlna-676oWsGGL4y6dhbSe0SxhaTahcnzILq14nQF9qBeFxmvnHVS3BvezYluvXwRhbuspmGj-G1W-ZbSKL_k0ZGDGONCXGNRcqtIWU3KZvRe8xLHPY3KwI-Ye-qrwwX/s1600/Core+splitting+006_R_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR2mPb7sLl0npdlna-676oWsGGL4y6dhbSe0SxhaTahcnzILq14nQF9qBeFxmvnHVS3BvezYluvXwRhbuspmGj-G1W-ZbSKL_k0ZGDGONCXGNRcqtIWU3KZvRe8xLHPY3KwI-Ye-qrwwX/s320/Core+splitting+006_R_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first stage: splitting the Chicxulub core</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I joined the OSP midway through the onshore stint at the Bremen Core Repository, Germany. Upon arrival (after a very early 3am start back in the UK) I was warmly welcomed by the Physical Properties (or Phys Props as we are famously known) Team of which I was to be a member. The majority of my time at the OSP was spent continuing the ongoing Moisture and Density measurements (or MAD for short) on small, discrete samples from the Chicxulub cores, and the name speaks for itself, it really is MAD! I arrived at a very busy time, when core splitting had surpassed the target of 35 m a day and accelerated up to 75 m a day! That’s a lot of core, and a lot of running between labs to ensure you aren’t lagging behind with your measurements. Although this was the role which I was responsible for, you are part of a team, so help is always given when asked for. However, the Phys Props Team is also a cog in the much bigger OSP machine, and so helping outside of your designated role always helps to keep the core flow going smoothly. For example, you can help the digital line-scan team cart core to the Visual Core Description (or VCD) lab, or prepare the cores so they are ready for colour reflectance work. All these tasks help to keep things in running order. However, there is always room for some creativity, from simple drawings on the core labels, to setting up a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPAPHpBYwTc" target="_blank">time lapse camera</a>, to record the comings and goings in the Phys Props lab during the shifts.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IPAPHpBYwTc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IPAPHpBYwTc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
All the running around aside, there is still time for a cup of tea (or coffee if you are that way inclined) and a few biscuits, pretzels, fruit, sandwiches, mini burgers… (you get the picture), while waiting for a batch of MAD measurements to finish. From day one I realised that hovering around the refreshments offers the best chance to meet the vast array of people from different scientific backgrounds and expertise that make up the science party. There was always someone around (with there being over 50 science party and technical staff) providing ample opportunity to learn more details about the expedition, the science that will continue for years to come, and even hear about past and future expeditions, and of course a few anecdotes. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLmENWDtre1eUVoBTVn0d0VgGe8jAVYGF4KJ5enktPP6ZG5vmihOPz9_J5Mcr7WMY6OTTIe6t-L9qwURQ3rk1XRgW5QMQKciuEfDpEKpThYzrs-M4fJiL-QVyHOad6QGo757xhxf8vlzi/s1600/364+R2D2+Core+labels+%2540LPhillpot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLmENWDtre1eUVoBTVn0d0VgGe8jAVYGF4KJ5enktPP6ZG5vmihOPz9_J5Mcr7WMY6OTTIe6t-L9qwURQ3rk1XRgW5QMQKciuEfDpEKpThYzrs-M4fJiL-QVyHOad6QGo757xhxf8vlzi/s320/364+R2D2+Core+labels+%2540LPhillpot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative core labels</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I found it really interesting to attend the science meetings during the OSP, which occurred at the shift cross-over each day. This was the time where the science party discussed the results and their ever-evolving theories over the coming weeks, as more core was split, described, sampled and analysed. This was the meeting where any member of the OSP could listen to discussions and learn more about these fascinating cores. Not being an impact crater specialist myself, it was a brilliant insight into the ongoing research, which meant as the OSP progressed I began to understand more about the science and the many different research questions being addressed by the Expedition.<br />
<br />
Unsurprisingly, this IODP expedition drummed up a lot of media interest, bringing journalists, photographers and, for the first time on an OSP, a film crew! This was a very exciting time for scientists, who were given the chance to communicate to the general public the importance of the work that the IODP and ECORD are doing, specifically surrounding the Chicxulub impact crater. Of course also this was an opportunity to get yourself in the background of a shot that might end up on TV. Hi mum!<br />
<br />
So I’ve mentioned the hard work that has gone into making this OSP a success and the brief moments of respite during shifts, but what happens after the shifts and at the end of the OSP you may wonder? Well, being in Germany, you have to take advantage of the situation, so going for a few delicious beers after work is a sure thing! Although, if you are not familiar with OSP shift patterns (as I wasn’t a few weeks ago), the afternoon shifts are preferable, where you begin at midday, giving you just enough time to recover from the post-shift karaoke antics at Paddy’s Pit the night before. However, being on the morning shift, starting at 7.30 am (as I was), doesn’t stop you from participating in late night karaoke. Once the OSP had finished, we all had the opportunity to relax and enjoy some local events, such as the annual Bremen Freimarkt, which has to be one of the biggest and fantastically bonkers funfairs I have been to. From munching on traditional German Bratwurst and soft pretzels, to enjoying a local beer and riding the roller coasters, there isn’t a better way to end a few weeks in Germany.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoT5_Cfb0ct-mOLqEkI5j3CwPauebC0KpafmyeL0lFAgzRjR3KSzXj6l2TQagrMfzGbf4ncdChTWh1ugRgBv3HGigBEXH9Xa1KaRAdSGJpjExTMqQNFh1OW5kNNGLGFWT2eRDR1UuOaLCa/s1600/364+Freimarkt+%2540LPhillpot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoT5_Cfb0ct-mOLqEkI5j3CwPauebC0KpafmyeL0lFAgzRjR3KSzXj6l2TQagrMfzGbf4ncdChTWh1ugRgBv3HGigBEXH9Xa1KaRAdSGJpjExTMqQNFh1OW5kNNGLGFWT2eRDR1UuOaLCa/s320/364+Freimarkt+%2540LPhillpot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wünderbar Bremen Freimarkt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A final thing I would like to add is that, this isn’t your everyday job, and is definitely unique to anything I have done before. Working as part of an OSP, together with sampling Chicxulub core, sharing in the discovery of impact crater peak ring contents, and having the chance to witness ground zero for the K-Pg boundary is a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I will probably never experience again.<br />
<br />
Grace<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-39069150289605368702016-07-21T02:40:00.000-07:002016-07-21T02:40:29.251-07:00Back to (Petrophysics) SchoolTwo weeks ago, on Sunday the 26th of June, the first ever summer school in Petrophysics hosted by the University of Leicester kicked off with drinks and a free out-of-hours tour of the King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester City’s old town. A moderately-well documented event, you can find out more about the formalities on the <a href="http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/research/gbrg/projects/iodp/summerschool16" target="_blank">web page</a>, or you could read a more formal blog post on the Leicester University <a href="http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geology/news/news-2016/petrophysics-summer-school" target="_blank">website</a>. Here though, I am going to list some of my personal reflections: Looking back on the event from my perspective as an assistant. But as a summary; there are two non-work-related aspects that stand-out as highlights. 1) Meeting the colleagues of my colleagues and; 2) the opportunity to get a sense of the wider petrophysics community and the work that is going on. But let’s start at the beginning for context.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9kLtW8encrEvnMxWr9rPpheUr4UfOiqPtuJn-x8HkZezS8xD5mcS17jieuFmwSAC5GE1-jp1Zbz4EYHqEZYUIhgorc4L1ZS2T42bWCetvGtJMVXGs5c_7t33urfYz1wWCwMpLmNjpGeU/s1600/PSS2016_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9kLtW8encrEvnMxWr9rPpheUr4UfOiqPtuJn-x8HkZezS8xD5mcS17jieuFmwSAC5GE1-jp1Zbz4EYHqEZYUIhgorc4L1ZS2T42bWCetvGtJMVXGs5c_7t33urfYz1wWCwMpLmNjpGeU/s320/PSS2016_1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleontologist and guest lecturer Dr Tom Harvey <br />at the New Walk Museum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Striking the perfect balance of formal to informal; the ice was thoroughly broken at the aforementioned visitor centre meet-up, where awkward-silence-littered conversations slowly dissipated at roughly the same pace as the wine was consumed. Many participants had travelled thousands of miles to be at the summer school, and this diversity was reflected in a wide range of approaches, dress, and above all accents. Between the 30 participants, 19 different nationalities were represented; coming from 11 separate countries institutionally. It was a similar story with the summer school’s tutors as well, whereby of the 20 tutors/helpers, 12 separate institutions/organisations from 6 different countries were present.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPUurCVlsoi24HhZxzm5EhOpBiQdZbrbH2HL1NUK4tfwg8FjKPLmHI4jBjwlZ-KZBc-1QPm4IDnicXLED5RMFZ2YohRn312uTXK61wQX9ruNb0edQcyJLACyPcZ8LOawQWDjqc_f5AmtJ/s1600/PSS2016_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPUurCVlsoi24HhZxzm5EhOpBiQdZbrbH2HL1NUK4tfwg8FjKPLmHI4jBjwlZ-KZBc-1QPm4IDnicXLED5RMFZ2YohRn312uTXK61wQX9ruNb0edQcyJLACyPcZ8LOawQWDjqc_f5AmtJ/s320/PSS2016_3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up a Geotek Core Logger for demonstrations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This atmosphere of like-mindedness though a passion for petrophysics lingered throughout the week as experts and professionals alike shared their experiences with participants through a series of lectures that built from the ground up. With various practicals spread throughout the week including operational demonstrations of equipment, fieldtrips and courses on the fundamentals of industry-standard software packages. But this is going off topic. <br />
<br />
This week was the first time that I had met some of our professional partners in person, but I don’t think this was entirely a unique experience. The atmosphere suggested that this meet was the first time that so many had been in the same room for a while. Not really surprising though, given the large offshore expedition-focussed aspect of the job. There were many people that I had ‘met’ over skype or had ‘conversations’ with through email; and many more that I had heard of through reading their name on an expedition proceeding or scientific paper. However this week provided some time to get to know them as people rather than solely in the limelight of their professional career. A real privilege, especially given the calibre of character. But that’s all you’re getting on that subject, if you want to know more you’ll have to start studying to become a petrophysicist and get involved! <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3lcESIqjvHO5-jfm9rE6tymwPe9IVQtBVL15naEEG_8LFBDwQrn3caxjnKwwTKQ-ezv8WaK9FHcCxNA7l-DuEV4vstPrcme45bqEzQKDz8cQYwsSJvqDbtup9RKw6-UXiHq2VE7iHAbo/s1600/PSS2016_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3lcESIqjvHO5-jfm9rE6tymwPe9IVQtBVL15naEEG_8LFBDwQrn3caxjnKwwTKQ-ezv8WaK9FHcCxNA7l-DuEV4vstPrcme45bqEzQKDz8cQYwsSJvqDbtup9RKw6-UXiHq2VE7iHAbo/s320/PSS2016_2.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clever scientists being clever</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, onto my second point. The petrophysics community. I think there is one thing that we can agree on about scientists – they’re clever people. So when you gather a bunch of them in a room and give them an opportunity to tell you what they are researching right now, the results can be pretty interesting. This is why throughout the first half of the week coffee breaks were combined with a series of poster sessions. To give people ample opportunity to bring and share.<br />
<br />
Research areas were wide ranging. All the way from the realms of ‘classic’ petrophysics such as: the effect of particle size on fluid migration or the architecture of carbonate reefs; all the way to where interests were more than a little outside the box, such as using borehole imaging to re-orient core samples in order to investigate high-temperature deformation; or assessing the mechanical and chemical processes that occur when seawater interacts with rocks that have come from hundreds of kilometres underground (spoiler alert – this may give rise to primitive life forms that are not dependent on sunlight!). Full disclosure, some of these terms go straight over my head too – that’s why these guys usually stand next to their posters to explain… but I do recommend googling some of these terms, or getting involved yourself so you too can learn some science. It is a wonder to hear about the amazing things scientists in the petrophysics community can achieve, especially when using old data from the IODP legacy dataset.<br />
<br />
So there’s my two cents on the petrophysics summer school. I wish I could tell you more about the content of the course but unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend all the lectures thanks to “work” and all that. Maybe I will next time though.<br />
<br />
Laurence<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-27937322913161902032016-07-19T03:34:00.000-07:002016-07-19T04:02:55.599-07:0040,000 PointsIt has been more than one month since the end of the offshore phase of IODP expedition 364. I wanted to wait a bit to review this experience, because writing something just after would have been a mix of “it was so hot”, “I think I had too many cookies/brownies” and “that was intense”. Now I am rested and relaxed, I can look back at these 58 days spent offshore Mexico on the 42-meter-long Liftboat Myrtle. A tiny, yet impressive place where I was part of such a fantastic scientific expedition: to drill the peak ring of the <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php" target="_blank">Chicxulub Impact Crater</a> . That was my first offshore experience.<br />
<br />
So, yes it was hot, and yes it was intense. But there are more important things to report from this experience. First of all, even if I heard of what a mission specific platform was and what the missions of the <a href="https://www.iodp.org/" target="_blank">IODP</a> (International Ocean Discovery Program) were, it was impressive. It was impressive to see such a geoscientific operation taking place, just to bring rock samples to the surface, describe and analyse them. Just science.<br />
<br />
My main role offshore was to measure physical properties of the cores, using a multi-sensor core logger (MSCL). It was not only me on the MSCL; we worked on 12-hour shifts to ensure a continuous workflow. Analysing cores for 12 hours in a row, 90 minutes for every 3 meters of core material, can be long. But it can also be rewarding: other scientists were really interested in this petrophysical data. We provided instant valuable information like rock density and magnetic susceptibility. Density was probably the most useful while offshore, for scientists to better understand what they described and how it fitted with their model. On the other hand, the magnetic susceptibility data (usually useful for correlations between boreholes and cores) was more of an amazement, to see the range of responses measured from the different materials recovered from the peak ring. I am sure that even if we do not use magnetic susceptibility as a correlation tool here, it will give scientists crucial information about the variation in composition of the rocks formed or affected during the impact.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5Xi7tpE2FjDRq7z_g-1u1ZNMBRXRFGcPyPXGlXIfvJ9b1h4KwHYMTGgylYzoE3YBHuBXODVL5xshhnslfR-keV57TSR0SgWXhSGyrISMKu9P4B2BqyhED96xD2oRY_wMwKZ6odsUUDkb/s1600/MSCL_364.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5Xi7tpE2FjDRq7z_g-1u1ZNMBRXRFGcPyPXGlXIfvJ9b1h4KwHYMTGgylYzoE3YBHuBXODVL5xshhnslfR-keV57TSR0SgWXhSGyrISMKu9P4B2BqyhED96xD2oRY_wMwKZ6odsUUDkb/s320/MSCL_364.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The MSCL lab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some feelings now about the measurements:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Satisfying: we were lucky enough to have a measurement time that fitted perfectly with the core recovery rate, never too far behind the drilling team;</li>
<li>Mildly frustrating: it was a single well and we did not know what lithology will be recovered in the next core, making it difficult to visualise the big picture;</li>
<li>Highly satisfying: to look at the MSCL dataset now; measurements every 2 cm across a total length of 830 m of core: more than 40000 measurement points in total;</li>
<li>Even more satisfying: to see that downhole logging data I helped to collect (<a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/what-is-downhole-logging/" target="_blank">with EPC staff from the University of Montpellier </a>) match very well with the physical properties measured on the cores. The hole was very nice and we collected good data; the cores were continuous, fairly well preserved and we collected good data. Of course it is not possible to show them now because they are under moratorium.</li>
</ul>
<br />
I think it was good to wait a bit before reviewing this experience; to dim the excitement of the expedition and of coming back home; to forget about some unimportant but inevitable technical problems; to relax. What I will remember from this first expedition is satisfying: good data, good team effort and epic geological setting.<br />
<br />
Erwan<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-21560248974898324582016-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:002016-07-19T03:34:36.435-07:00IODP as an ECS<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-5jWe8KPT99yXPBqTbTH-NBVanfBz5IRg-_V-Y5SOBcq76a3qWN7yZb3Xz2hgXVJvHGA4dC7CWbEkAKCgoJb9y7Hsl_ArgTBl9uKjf7PtuiORD2PWa69RQnREC5XVhe-jSJx1lnS4Asq/s1600/Conversations-with-beakfast.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-5jWe8KPT99yXPBqTbTH-NBVanfBz5IRg-_V-Y5SOBcq76a3qWN7yZb3Xz2hgXVJvHGA4dC7CWbEkAKCgoJb9y7Hsl_ArgTBl9uKjf7PtuiORD2PWa69RQnREC5XVhe-jSJx1lnS4Asq/s320/Conversations-with-beakfast.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: ESO's Alex Wülbers, Associate Professor<br />
Marco Coolen <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">and myself at breakfast</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a follow-up on the ‘a packing list for working offshore’ blog I wanted to talk about my experience on the ship itself, but (as previously mentioned), this is not a new idea because, quite simply, it’s an exciting experience to talk about. As a consequence, there are already lots of good blogs out there about the actual living process such as what eating is like, sleeping arrangements, and especially large numbers of blogs about the work itself – shift patterns, what was discovered, etc.… Whilst I’m on the subject though I would recommend the <a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">IODP Expedition 364 blog</a>, even though the offshore phase of the expedition has now completed it is still a good read and will introduce you far better than I can to what life was like offshore. There are good blogs on what <a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/life-on-board-the-lb-mrytle/" target="_blank">daily life</a> was like on the Myrtle; the <a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/2016/04/22/drilling-101/" target="_blank">drilling process and operations</a>; and the <a href="https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/milestones-reached-and-discoveries-still-to-come/" target="_blank">science itself</a>.<br />
<br />
So with most major topics covered by voices that carry more authority than mine; I wanted to talk about the times in between working and operations, the free time. Because this is the stuff that has really stuck with me since I returned. Now before I go any further I want to preface the rest of this by saying “this is not an advert for working with the IODP”. Although I can’t help it if you take it that way and I would still recommend it personally… especially to Early Career Scientists (ECS’s).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrGB_Jg3r1KVTFwKOGd5B2Fe76KuHOtnptnZTIq_EUmHmkwnCS5OtHFEkKmCw7ibtblbqjpkUa3ummg35J74H1ExLMkFXc3GeDKvJ9GvO9w668LshhPLgZrWyaREmGRZ0L8j5c8H7fx5A/s1600/Mowat%252C-Signs-home.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrGB_Jg3r1KVTFwKOGd5B2Fe76KuHOtnptnZTIq_EUmHmkwnCS5OtHFEkKmCw7ibtblbqjpkUa3ummg35J74H1ExLMkFXc3GeDKvJ9GvO9w668LshhPLgZrWyaREmGRZ0L8j5c8H7fx5A/s320/Mowat%252C-Signs-home.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone was a long way from home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bountiful free time is never guaranteed when working offshore because each day presents a new set of and interesting problems to tackle. Even in the middle stages of the expedition when you might expect everything to be taking care of itself and when there are generally fewer ‘peripheral’ jobs that need doing such as setting up, cleaning and packing down equipment. When I was on board there were several days when spare time was a valuable commodity because rock core and fresh samples were arriving very hour; and there were some days when the drilling team were changing a drill bit (yes, this is as literal as it sounds) and I needed to be a little more creative with how I filled my time (although there are always things that need doing and it’s easy to fill the time with QAQC and calibration checks). So what did I do with my time? There were a few things going on. I could make a sign that pointed in the direction of home and the number of kilometres to get there (photo); I could enter the photo competition for a chance to be featured in the next iteration of the ECORD calendar; I could play a strange form of quoits using the end-caps of cores; lots of options. Usually though, I would sit and chat with the other scientists about the science itself (If you aren’t aware already I was offshore on <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php" target="_blank">IODP Expedition 364: Chicxulub Impact Crater</a>, have a read, exciting stuff!). When you are offshore on a scientific drilling expedition though, there are times where chit-chat can be hard to come by because other participants are busy with work, overwhelmed with human contact and wanting to be left alone, or asleep. But there other occasions, usually during a shift change when scientists and engineers are out of their containers or off the drill floor that are golden opportunities not to be missed.<br />
<br />
At this point I should introduce why people make the insane choice to live on a 42 m long platform with 33 other people for up to 2 months. Because they love what they do, it’s their passion. And this makes for some rather interesting free time conversations, because there isn’t really any cognitive free time… and that’s fine! Personally I was on shift with: impact petrologist Auriole Rae, organic Geochemist Marco Cooleen, and expedition co-chief scientist Sean Gulick; along with a whole host of ESO staff – all specialists and successful scientists in their own right. Such diversity meant that conversation topics ranged from meteorite impact models to rock core curation processes; making quick stops at microbiological and geochemical testing methods. As well as simple things like: ‘what’s for dinner’ and ‘how many days after you get home will it take to binge-watch Game of Thrones’. Now bear with me here because this is the point where I may lose your trust and you may start to believe that this is indeed an advert. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are both fundamental corporate values to the IODP. It says right at the beginning of the IODP Science Plan for the period 2013-2023, in the Executive Summary section: “This science plan for the International Ocean Discovery Program is intended to guide multidisciplinary, international collaboration in scientific ocean drilling during the period 2013 to 2023.” When I read this I envisioned formal invites to conferences and black tie events where participants critique one another’s work, listing the pros and cons of working together. And these events may still occur, in addition to the informal exchanges I experienced offshore.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm07RQm1xMwCOYOqpZ7WvrUxRpSq7a4B7DaOIryiFAsx2uqzU5OwWQmyglulXA_UeEwH1xWbJ2bShlI9_-BZMJboSOjMt6jgrkXBAa8Mf1FfH-U42nXarl8LAu7xe4ogPJ7kfb_83Nt8zg/s1600/Sunset+364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm07RQm1xMwCOYOqpZ7WvrUxRpSq7a4B7DaOIryiFAsx2uqzU5OwWQmyglulXA_UeEwH1xWbJ2bShlI9_-BZMJboSOjMt6jgrkXBAa8Mf1FfH-U42nXarl8LAu7xe4ogPJ7kfb_83Nt8zg/s320/Sunset+364.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a bad view I'd say</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are no conference rooms on a research vessel, everyone has to wear personal protective equipment (overalls, hardhats, steel toe-capped boots and safety goggles), and you are on a boat, a very small boat… so conferences are not a practical choice. Instead, people just talk. Simple. And these conversations are what I meant by ‘golden opportunities’ earlier. Now just because I refer to them as casual conversations does not mean that they were hand-wavy or nebulous. These were more like deep dives into scientific hot topics because the conversationalists are passion driven experts in the process of discovery. And if that little question: “why?” was ever dropped in; the likelihood is it would release a torrent of fact-based and fully sourced justifications. They still weren’t formal though; despite being intense! Most discussions were spontaneous and happened over an ice-cream at sunset, or with a cup of tea at the midnight shift change. And THIS was what stuck with me, there was no pressure, no judgement, just a passion for science.<br />
<br />
I know personally that I came away from a week at sea knowing far more about a much wider range of topics simply by being involved in such a project. I can honestly say that the expedition has been the most motivational week of my life, and I had already decided that I love what I do. That is why I recommend getting involved with IODP if you are an ECS, not just because it is exciting to be on the front lines of discovery for your OWN science; but because you are on the front of everyone else’s as well and you never know where that may take you.<br />
<br />
Laurence<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-521061329628408532016-05-24T07:08:00.002-07:002016-07-19T03:35:31.254-07:00A Packing List for Life OffshoreThe topic of “my first offshore science expedition” is nothing new in the blogging world. I personally have read a couple as they are common topics on the <a href="http://joidesresolution.org/blog" target="_blank">JOIDES Resolution blog</a>, and is anyone surprised? It’s an exciting experience that potentially only happens once-in-a-lifetime. With this in mind I’m going to talk about the week preceding the expedition and what it is like to prepare to go offshore instead.<br />
<br />
The formalities:<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Expedition: <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php" target="_blank">IODP Expedition 364: Chicxulub Impact Crater</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Position: Multi-Sensor Core Logger Operator<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Length: 1 week, maybe more with good behaviour<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEWBMd0SyAhxt4DcXl0RmwzRU8FEX5qRQt67HoolZUt58RqgzOvl4NyMiOMboCcl0rO0KJuct1vD6H-HTeSroOzR4iKFATEey7klyepod3GXUm1pgtio4tn4Eaw0RuBjJ1lWkUS3sZpzw/s1600/Merida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEWBMd0SyAhxt4DcXl0RmwzRU8FEX5qRQt67HoolZUt58RqgzOvl4NyMiOMboCcl0rO0KJuct1vD6H-HTeSroOzR4iKFATEey7klyepod3GXUm1pgtio4tn4Eaw0RuBjJ1lWkUS3sZpzw/s320/Merida.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The streets of Merida, Mexico, city stop on the way to <br />
the platform</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now let’s get on with it. First and foremost, it’s unusual and involves a different mind-set from holiday packing. Preparing for a holiday usually involves thinking: “what do I want to do in all my free time?” whereas this was closer to: “what do I need to be comfortable and keep me busy during downtime so that I don’t get on everyone else’s nerves”. I’m good at that.<br />
<br />
So the first things to go in the bag were essentials of course: clothes, toothbrush, sunglasses, etc. Then followed by more unique items, steel toe capped boots, insect repellent, work stuff. Fieldwork is part of learning to be a geologist so this isn’t entirely my first rodeo, but this is not a typical kind of field that I am going to work in. You really don’t need to pack all that much in terms of clothes either, thanks to the Mexican climate. It is between 26 and 40 degrees at this time of year, day and night. Also, overalls are part of the compulsory PPI so there isn’t much choice beyond which pair of shorts and which t-shirt to wear underneath it. Inspiring I know.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIocgQkR0lDknEvpAZnY6Q9VTHhQJK5rL5LHPTI0PWLqx4uUapkhGMhjACNqhqz_O8WTlB-iPQKRadc7Pf4WYAA0GLMve7El3j51d1SRKIpcB-Dnyl49NBXp6_tbBgIamcuotbqB8GkFP/s1600/Myrtle-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIocgQkR0lDknEvpAZnY6Q9VTHhQJK5rL5LHPTI0PWLqx4uUapkhGMhjACNqhqz_O8WTlB-iPQKRadc7Pf4WYAA0GLMve7El3j51d1SRKIpcB-Dnyl49NBXp6_tbBgIamcuotbqB8GkFP/s320/Myrtle-01.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lift Boat Myrtle: home for the next week or so</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What to do in downtime was a bit of a head scratcher: I’m a Millennial, the internet is where I get most of my entertainment; so how is this going to happen when 30 km offshore? And what about exercise, it’s a 42 m platform with virtually no hull and 33 people on board, where am I going to find the space to even swing a rope? Well, spoiler alert! There’s wifi, although it is pretty slow, and an exercise area outside with free weights so there was no need to worry. I had already settled on music for entertainment though. Plenty of varied music and several sets of headphones (along with a couple of good books obviously). Again, you really don’t need that much because there isn’t much time when you’re working 12 hour shifts.<br />
<br />
In fact by the time I was done packing I could fit everything into a large backpack if I had tried really hard, and I think I will if I have the opportunity in future. This was my final packing list: Shorts? Check; t-shirts? Check; undies? Check; steel toe-capped boots? Check; toothbrush and stuff? Check; a couple of good books? Check; done.<br />
<br />
So that’s it, nothing too complicated. All that was left was to finalise flights. For those of you who don’t know, exploratory scientific drilling is not an exact science because you never know exactly what you are going to find; and this makes judging the rate of expected progress tricky. So I had to work a bit of leeway into my schedule; flying out a bit earlier and booking flights back for a bit later than expected because there was no way that I was going to be responsible for delaying this multi-million dollar expedition! But, more on the expedition itself and whether I enjoyed the experience or not next time.<br />
<br />
Laurence<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-3426183442913338802016-04-04T02:10:00.000-07:002016-07-19T03:37:02.404-07:00Chicxulub’s peak ring: exceptional geologist blingSometimes there are not many places to look for a specific geological feature. The peak ring of the Chicxulub crater is the perfect example: it is the only unequivocal instance of a peak ring known on Earth. Some others may have existed in the past but have since been eroded through geological time. When geoscientists come to study peak rings, they can look through a telescope, at Venus or The Moon. But when testing hypotheses on Earth, the only known analogue is located beneath the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEgZ4L1CL_YGNigAyBF_zkTEkJqbCfis5qbVD0lJMA3Lmdu19gw1Pflv9-snxMfkUJwU6BXmwMYF1wV23XiwwQrNXSHmBYs-n0bzhjLvO0pRrXlt-_w0TokV5GDNqyXEFBcxxpD6EBMyj/s1600/ECORD+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEgZ4L1CL_YGNigAyBF_zkTEkJqbCfis5qbVD0lJMA3Lmdu19gw1Pflv9-snxMfkUJwU6BXmwMYF1wV23XiwwQrNXSHmBYs-n0bzhjLvO0pRrXlt-_w0TokV5GDNqyXEFBcxxpD6EBMyj/s320/ECORD+Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Source</i>: <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php" target="_blank">ECORD</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A peak ring results from rock displacement when a meteorite collides with a rocky body. At Chicxulub, current hypotheses suggest that the impact was so powerful the rocks at the site behaved like a fluid. Like a droplet into water, the collision generates an uplift at the centre of the crater, this uplift then collapses outwardly to form a peak ring. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 364 will investigate specifically, and for the first time, the peak ring of Chicxulub Impact Crater: here the structure forms a circle 80 km in diameter. In April and May 2016, 30 km north from the coast of Yucatán, an international team on board Liftboat (L/B) Myrtle will attempt to drill and sample a 1.5 km deep borehole to reach the peak ring. The feature is now preserved beneath 17 m of water and more than 650 m of Cenozoic carbonates at the drilling site.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6m6A6IIml8l43Z3T1uMpByB34IIXtfq4v4QjvrLVGMx9VSuzvXbQh7puMB0Zag5l42UPHrsfT7ZIkATJ2UHFlz-MxCNC84hHx5G-CR6Pu8-PvWJYML-64tP4yoHs8aVGAopT-ckZ9LVV/s1600/364-logo_blank.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6m6A6IIml8l43Z3T1uMpByB34IIXtfq4v4QjvrLVGMx9VSuzvXbQh7puMB0Zag5l42UPHrsfT7ZIkATJ2UHFlz-MxCNC84hHx5G-CR6Pu8-PvWJYML-64tP4yoHs8aVGAopT-ckZ9LVV/s200/364-logo_blank.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The logo for Expedition 364, <span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">©ECORD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The main expedition goal is to shed light on the physical processes involved in the formation of peak rings. The collision also likely resulted in the sterilisation of the impact site; and so another key objective aims to evaluate if and how microorganisms re-established in the peak ring; and the role of hydrothermal systems at the post-collision event site. Geophysicists, sedimentologists, geochemists, microbiologists, micropalaeontologists and petrologists from the UK, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, France, China, Japan, Australia, USA, Canada and Mexico will work together during the project to address these questions.<br />
<br />
The European Petrophysics Consortium (EPC) is heavily involved in this expedition, as part of the ECORD (European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling) Science Operator (ESO). Johanna Lofi (University of Montpellier), Erwan Le Ber and Laurence Phillpot (University of Leicester) will coordinate all of the downhole and core petrophysical measurements. Data collected downhole provide a continuous record of rock properties along the borehole. A multi-sensor core logger (MSCL) is used to measure physical properties of recovered cores, at a resolution of 2 cm. By comparing downhole and core logging the exact depth of the cores in the borehole can be calculated; a very important aspect of this expedition, as key horizons such as the PETM and the K-Pg boundary should be sampled. Finally, the combination of downhole and core petrophysical measurements will be crucial to test current hypotheses of peak ring formation. This expedition represents an exceptional opportunity to investigate a truly exciting geological feature: this unique peak ring, testimony of one of Earth’s most dramatic events.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6F4_wdUHMORsNukE3Ac9xFxJ1Ma5zhBBiml2sBp6kICnwnNVbGEGDfkwvKxzqV365lq-Q5QBjeHexo6H5dieeY9YpkMkSlYS_2rLlbv8ugBpt0tDrdXYCMQ3SDYXEW2xQc4avveLpIMq/s1600/Mobilisation+%2528C%2529+SallyMorgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6F4_wdUHMORsNukE3Ac9xFxJ1Ma5zhBBiml2sBp6kICnwnNVbGEGDfkwvKxzqV365lq-Q5QBjeHexo6H5dieeY9YpkMkSlYS_2rLlbv8ugBpt0tDrdXYCMQ3SDYXEW2xQc4avveLpIMq/s400/Mobilisation+%2528C%2529+SallyMorgan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Equipment being loaded onto the L/B Myrtle, <span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">©Sa</span>lly Morgan, Leicester</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After the offshore phase of the expedition, core samples will be sent to the IODP Bremen Core Repository in Germany, where further analyses will be done this autumn. EPC will continue to coordinate the acquisition of more petrohysical data on the core material recovered.<br />
<br />
You can keep up-to-date with project developments through the <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/364/364.php" target="_blank">expedition webpage</a> and by following <a href="https://twitter.com/EPC_Research" target="_blank">@EPC_Research</a>.<br />
<br />
ErwanEuropean Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-37131920276730140212016-03-14T05:44:00.000-07:002016-03-14T05:44:03.377-07:00Come Sail OnshoreThe second ECORD training course: The Virtual Drillship Experience was held at MARUM, Bremen, from the 7th to the 11th of March 2016. This course originated from the very successful ECORD Summer School, also hosted by Bremen, that includes “Virtual Ship” sessions. The concept, welcomed by the scientific drilling community, gives participants the opportunity to learn about expedition workflow and various analyses performed during offshore research drilling projects. The focus is more process related than the sister Summer Schools that always centre on one of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) scientific themes. In response to the high demand and interest, The Virtual Drillship Experience was created. It is a unique occasion for scientists interested in sailing to become, or to become once more, familiar with IODP. MARUM is the ideal location to host this event: as it is one of the three IODP core repositories, with more than 150 km of cores, as well as laboratories and facilities we can find on a drillship. <br />
<br />
Over 5 days, 29 participants from around the world and from different scientific disciplines were immersed in shipboard activities; covering physical properties, core logging, sediment visual core description and smear slide analysis, high-resolution linescan imaging and color scanning, biostratigraphy, pore water acquisition and analysis, and finally, hard rock core description. To guarantee optimal interaction with the tutors and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the equipment, participants were divided into 3 groups, rotating between the different labs and practical exercises. Tutors included many experienced senior scientists with significant experience in offshore expeditions, ensuring genuine and relevant examples. Early career researchers Anna Joy Drury (postdoc, MARUM) and Erwan Le Ber (IODP research associate, University of Leicester) also had the opportunity to participate in teaching, giving an introduction to core physical properties, with practicals on a multi-sensor core logger (MSCL) system and on discrete samples (Moisture and Density, Pycnometer).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XIe3nh1uIhaZ6nNtfLZi9PxCSdkU0i3J0s8UsrpxnfA2DGfZt-FVbhmA6N9ONwg1D6034YQEE08zOjNE-DMScsGuS3rzXMiBYU-9XVbLWcfNx6BmSJOYQ-ZMGaxhAD-ANj4hKSCpAf4e/s1600/MAD+sampling+session.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XIe3nh1uIhaZ6nNtfLZi9PxCSdkU0i3J0s8UsrpxnfA2DGfZt-FVbhmA6N9ONwg1D6034YQEE08zOjNE-DMScsGuS3rzXMiBYU-9XVbLWcfNx6BmSJOYQ-ZMGaxhAD-ANj4hKSCpAf4e/s320/MAD+sampling+session.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sampling session for Moisture and Density</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Virtual Drillship Experience is not only about participants familiarising themselves with offshore workflow and the different data acquisition methods. Our apprentice sailors also had to use their skills and knowledge acquired during the virtual drillship experience to interpret downhole logging data with Sarah Davies (University of Leicester) or to generate core correlations and age models. Participants were also introduced to the more general aspects of IODP; including curation, data management, sample requests and proposal writing. In 5 days, attendees covered the most fundamental aspects of shipboard activities, and we now wish them “fair winds and following seas”.<br />
<br />
Click <a href="https://www.marum.de/en/ECORD_Training_Courses.html" target="_blank">here</a> for more information on The Virtual Drillship Experience, and <a href="http://www.essac.ecord.org/index.php?mod=education&page=summer-school" target="_blank">here</a> for other ECORD Courses and Summer Schools.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-90481338867751927362016-02-05T05:18:00.000-08:002016-02-08T02:54:03.496-08:00IODP Expedition 357: The Real Science Party <div class="MsoNormal">
Staff from the European Petrophysics Consortium based at the
University of Leicester have been working as part of a team on the <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/357/357.php" target="_blank">IODP Expedition357: Atlantis Massif Serpentinization and Life</a>. As the latest
phase, the Onshore Science Party (OSP) reaches its conclusion; it’s time to
look back at the OSP experience at the Bremen Core Repository at the MARUM in
Germany.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
IODP Expedition 357 is a major research project that is investigating the link between alteration processes (serpentinization) and extreme life. It has attracted much media attention, including items on the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34609272" target="_blank">BBC</a> and <a href="http://www.radiobremen.de/fernsehen/buten_un_binnen/video84066-popup.html" target="_blank">Bremen radio</a>, not least because of its links to the origins of life and by
extension the possibilities of extra-terrestrial life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUQ7JjkIhnTaq0Xare-qnz6PrC80gMokth5DTZ2eZ-5Otgjr8ZDzTwiY5D-gyZGs9Lh3QnXKcdDHkvYBB8ZGkrAl7cpgS_XmZMrl46HqYiebMW7hb7A_ZHadELBbHxWNcLEGhBUZ48kV9/s1600/Bremen+Core+Repository.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUQ7JjkIhnTaq0Xare-qnz6PrC80gMokth5DTZ2eZ-5Otgjr8ZDzTwiY5D-gyZGs9Lh3QnXKcdDHkvYBB8ZGkrAl7cpgS_XmZMrl46HqYiebMW7hb7A_ZHadELBbHxWNcLEGhBUZ48kV9/s400/Bremen+Core+Repository.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bremen Core Repository containing over <br />
150 km of core!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
EPC’s involvement in this project centres on providing
petrophysical expertise as part of the ECORD (European Consortium for Ocean
Research Drilling) Science Operator in conjunction with the BGS and MARUM. The
offshore phase of this mission-specific platform (MSP) expedition took place in
the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between October and December 2015. Dr Sally
Morgan, Petrophysics Staff Scientist on the expedition, analysed the ephemeral
physical properties on the core whilst offshore as well as coordinating the
downhole measurements programme. The core recovered from beneath the Atlantic
seabed was then shipped to the Bremen Core Repository arriving there just
before Christmas. This is where the rest
of the team came in, lead by Sally, and together forming the physical
properties technical team working alongside four international scientists with
interests in physical properties.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of the scientists involved in Expedition 357, the
Science Party, assemble for the first time at the OSP, only a few scientists
were involved in the offshore phase. The science party includes 30 scientists
from 12 countries and they are involved in sampling, measuring rock properties,
and working on rock description and characterization. A set of standard
measurements are acquired on every IODP expedition to ensure a consistent data contribution
to the legacy databases. Broadly speaking these measurements span the
disciplines and facilitate characterization of the rocks recovered, including
physical properties and high-resolution digital imaging of the cores (the
responsibility of Leicester's EPC team). During the OSP reports are written
on the expedition data (find them at the bottom of the page linked <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/357/357.php" target="_blank">here</a>), and scientists discuss their personal research
projects potentially forging collaborations.<span style="display: none; mso-hide: all special;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the Onshore Science Party is serious business, but is it
also a party? Well yes and no. These teams worked around the clock (almost
literally!) to develop a comprehensive record of the recovered rock in only 17
days! Yet, for many, the OSP is their first contact time with the recovered rocks,
generating an almost tangible atmosphere of excitement and anticipation as each
core is split and the story revealed. It is a fantastically encouraging
environment for budding and early-career scientists: full of potential connections that may lead to future collaborations and opportunities. One such example of this interdisciplinary collaboration developed in the physical properties lab. One of the four science party members was microbiologist <a href="http://www.schrenklab.com/" target="_blank">Dr MattSchrenk</a>. Matt’s research focuses on microbial life in <a href="http://spot.colorado.edu/~templeta/Templeton_Lab/Rock-Powered_Life.html" target="_blank">extreme environments</a>, and
he had requested to be part of the OSP physical properties team so that he
could learn about the moisture and density measurements acquired to investigate
porosity. Matt is interested in understanding
how porosity might control the location of life within these rocks. The hope is
that one day this research arising from Expedition 357 might aid in the search
for extra-terrestrial life. A perhaps unexpected, and undeniably interesting connection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Expedition 357 OSP has been hard work for everyone
involved so far and as the scientists and ESO staff begin to depart to their
various corners of the globe, the lingering buzz of anticipation reminds
everyone that the OSP is only really the start of the science. <o:p></o:p></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-1816207448168271032015-09-05T05:04:00.000-07:002015-09-05T05:04:50.099-07:00Sample, Log, Repeat: the quest for dating the retreat of the British Irish Ice Sheet<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyeVarcMl5P8H6v_Ede3M8LcHux4W5bmtj5KKCPg2qseb40CR5zUuAO_NP9LPFCGMUhjTHB6Q3L5DM_tQI1zgfFQ395psUcOhOAiN_h040-yyOHbUFHYnR06Nfc81sodAh1b3btjcZWCL/s1600/sunset_vibrocorer+copy2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyeVarcMl5P8H6v_Ede3M8LcHux4W5bmtj5KKCPg2qseb40CR5zUuAO_NP9LPFCGMUhjTHB6Q3L5DM_tQI1zgfFQ395psUcOhOAiN_h040-yyOHbUFHYnR06Nfc81sodAh1b3btjcZWCL/s400/sunset_vibrocorer+copy2+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BGS vibrocorer on the RRS James Cook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On 3 July 2015 EPC's Sally Morgan departed on a month-long research cruise
(JC123) as part of the <a href="http://www.britice-chrono.org/" target="_blank">BRITICE-CHRONO</a> project.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The JC123 cruise, led by Professor Colm O’Cofaigh of Durham
University, is the second of 2 marine-based coring programmes that are central
to the 5-year BRITICE-CHRONO NERC Consortium Grant which aims to collect and
date material to constrain the timing and rates of change of the collapsing
British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
year’s project was staffed by scientists from a number of institutions across
the UK, including the universities of Bangor, Durham, Leicester, Liverpool,
Sheffield, Stirling, and Ulster, as well as the British Geological Survey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Similar to the first BRITICE-CHRONO cruise (JC106) that took
place in 2014, JC123 was on board the Royal Research Ship James Cook and set
sail from Southampton. The cruise surveyed and sampled material along 3 main
transects in The Minch, Shetland and the North Sea areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coring targets in these transects were
identified using the surveying data collected on board, notably multibeam echo
sounder and sub-bottom profiler data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of the cores were acquired utilising the British Geological
Survey’s vibrocorer system (up to 6 m penetration), with a few cores sampled
using the National Oceanographic Centre’s piston corer (up to 10 m penetration).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over 170 individual cores were collected,
totalling in excess of half a kilometre of core material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once recovered to the ship, the cores were cut into
metre-long sections and curated, after which they were measured on Leicester’s containerised
<a href="http://www.geotek.co.uk/" target="_blank">Geotek </a>multi-sensor core logger system, operated by Sally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This system allows for the acquisition of the
physical properties of the cores, including the bulk density, acoustic
velocity, magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the cores were measured they were
returned to the core description team who split the cores in half lengthways,
sampled and described the cores, and then packed them up ready for shipment to
different institutions at the end of the cruise for further analyses (including
C14-dating and optically stimulated luminescence dating) and archiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Used in combination with the descriptions and
geochronological data derived from the cores, the physical properties data will
be used to help better understand the timing of the BIIS recession at the end
of the last glaciation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Work on these cores, the cores acquired during JC106, and
material collected from the equivalent land-based studies, will continue
through 2017, after which it is hoped that predictive ice sheet modelling will
be significantly improved, with the BIIS forming an important benchmark. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Further information about the project is available via the
<a href="http://www.britice-chrono.org/" target="_blank">BRITICE-CHRONO<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> w</span>ebpage</a> and you can also follow the project’s progress on Twitter:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BRITICECHRONO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@BRITICECHRONO<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7520161240703538427.post-88645517299573629942015-09-04T08:31:00.000-07:002015-09-04T08:31:27.095-07:00Robots, rocks and research drilling<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seabed rock drills are a developing technology with the
potential to offer a cost effective way of recovering geological materials from
beneath the sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More conventional
technologies drill and sample the sub-seafloor utilising drilling systems that
are on board a ship or platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seabed
rock drills are robotic drilling systems that are deployed from a ship and
lowered to the seafloor, attached to the ship by an umbilical which as well as
providing a physical connection, also allows for the drill to be remotely-controlled
and monitored by engineers on board. The latest version of the BGS rock drill
is designed to drill and core up to 50 m below the seafloor and is set to be
one of 2 such devices to be used on the <a href="http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/357/357.php" target="_blank">International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition to Atlantis Massif</a> later in the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second system to be utilised on this
project is the MeBo80, a seabed rock drill developed by MARUM, University of
Bremen, Germany.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7gsSkGCYzOZUycnK7XBQesgK9gIvGqVw5nMePCxFG_YfhDwgd2Py4ZMiJsO2kqiuQooGzk5C8MFgTv9roMAqFJrbyPFnCoqkXRuAMtJzzdNL7WzCDpEyNruyVAvY_ISMxMKhgf_bO7af/s1600/rd2_pharos_cruise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7gsSkGCYzOZUycnK7XBQesgK9gIvGqVw5nMePCxFG_YfhDwgd2Py4ZMiJsO2kqiuQooGzk5C8MFgTv9roMAqFJrbyPFnCoqkXRuAMtJzzdNL7WzCDpEyNruyVAvY_ISMxMKhgf_bO7af/s400/rd2_pharos_cruise.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On 17 August 2015 Sally Morgan, of the <a href="http://www.le.ac.uk/epc" target="_blank">European Petrophysics Consortium</a> (University of Leicester), joined the Northern Lighthouse Vessel Pharos with colleagues from the British Geological Survey (BGS) to test the latest iteration of their seabed rock drill, RD2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In addition to drilling and coring holes in the seabed, BGS have also purchased downhole logging probes to be deployed in the holes once drilling is completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These battery operated probes, will record <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in situ </i>measurements of the physical properties of the formations that have been penetrated, as the drill string is retrieved to the rig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sally was invited by BGS to participate in the trials cruise in the Firth of Lorne as the downhole logging specialist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will be providing technical support and guidance on the logging tools and associated data during the trails and beyond.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trials cruise on the Pharos is co-funded by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), the BGS and industry partners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
European Petrophysics Consortiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03294735202300282153noreply@blogger.com0