Drilling resumes......again

November 29, 2014

We have resumed drilling!!!! After a week hiatus, the BHA and new "hard rock" drill bit have arrived and drilling began on Wednesday evening.  We are averaging between 1 and 2 meters an hour which is not ideal but it is progress.  By the end of tomorrow we should be reaching 700 meters in depth.  The drilling has definitely cut into my field work a lot but I believe I have most of it done anyway.  The large exodus of people from New Zealand has begun as well.  People are beginning to leave for preparation for AGU (American Geophysical Union) conference in San Francisco and others are leaving just to be back in time for the holidays.  It is definitely bitter sweet.  I have met many great people ands scientist over the past month and believe I have made a few new friends over my time.  Mike Allen from the University of Liverpool and his secondary advisor Dan Faulkner are two that I really enjoy speaking to.  Dan Faulkner is as close to a rock star in the geology world as I believe someone can get.  We spent many nights discussing the Rotary Shear machine that I plan to work on for my masters thesis and he showed me plans for one he has designed and is on his way back home to build.  It is amazing how people studying similar rock mechanics can come up with so many ways of testing similar processes and ways of recording their findings.  To be around so many people that devote their lives to studying geology and have so many interests in common inspires you to get back and begin writing so that you can be part of this community.  The geologist here are a very tight knit group that have been colleagues for years and friends as well.  It is a young generation of scientist that have high hopes (and very possible ones too) of making major findings in earthquake mechanisms.  It is a very fun thing to be part of.  I apologize for not having more beautiful pictures of New Zealand but there are only so many pictures of the drill site and the surrounding mountains that I can post before it begins to repeat.   Happy Thanksgiving