Happy people in the science trench taking a group selfie: Siwan, Anja, Ikumi, Helle, Jens, Christine, Will, Julian, Vasileios and Dewi (dragon).

Processing catching up

Today the processing line managed to get within 25m of the current drilling depth, in reality catching up, as we do like the cores to rest for a day or two in the buffer before processing them. Today’s picture shows the happy crew in the science trench. Tomorrow we will try if some of the brittle ice may already be able to be processed this year. Alternatively we need to let the processing go down in speed. The crews in the isotope CFA and Physical Properties labs. continues measuring samples at a steady pace. Again today, the drilling continued, with various combinations of cutters and pitch in the search for a good mode that simultaneously increases production, keeps chips recovery high and bore hole inclination in check.
At the RADIX site, drilling preparation continued today, with some final touches to the casing.

What we did today:

1. 12.6 meters of main core drilled, new cutter configurations tested.
2. Logging of main core from 1342.03 m to 1354.68 m.
3. Processing of EGRIP main core in the science trench, final depth: 1333.75 m.
4. Measurements in isotope laboratory, final depth: 852.50 m.
5. Measurements in physical properties laboratory to 1295.80 m.
6. Water vapour sampling and measuring.
7. Japanese snow crystal and surface monitoring.
8. Preparing for drilling at RADIX site.

Weather: Sunny most of the day Friday. Temperature -18 °C to -7 °C. Wind starting from SW up to 8 kt, but turning SE and decreasing in speed during the afternoon.

FL, Bo Vinther