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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1996-97: VUWAE 41

3 Event Diary (Nov - Dec 1996)

3 Event Diary (Nov - Dec 1996)

Nov 14 Dickinson, Goff, Jennings, and Webster depart (13:00) Wellington for Christchurch; fitting of field clothing; night at Windsor
Nov 15 Christchurch to Scott Base (Dickinson, Goff, DeVries, Webster, Jennings)
Nov 16-18 Antarctic Field Training (Dickinson, Goff, Jennings, DeVries-assistant instructor); Webster unpacking and setting up drilling equipment
Nov 19-21 Tested drill equipment on permafrosted ground at Scott Base and on sea ice; Dickinson and Webster packing and testing drill equipment for field; DeVries, Jennings and Goff packing food, and field equipment. Webster returns to Wellington Thur, 21 Nov.
Nov 22-24 All equipment staged into four loads on helio pad. Dickinson, Goff, Jennings, DeVries, R & R Scott Base
Nov 25 Goff and DeVries depart for Table Mt 10:00 from McMurdo; Dickinson and Jennings depart for Table Mt 14:30 from McMurdo arrive at Table 15:30.
Nov 26-27 Set-up and establish camp; reconnaissance of area, drill site selection; start geologic and geomorphic mappingpage break
Nov 28 Cooper arrives with load #2 at Table Mt; final load #4 arrives at 16:30. Sent back rock for Thornley memorial and Nerida Bleakley's samples from Dec 1994. Set-up kero heater in Pol-haven tent. Set up drill rig after dinner.
Nov 29 Set-up and drilling by 12:30 and first metre is very slow. Become stuck in hole at 17:30p, break for dinner to make plans.
Nov 30 Whole day spent trying to recover frozen bit; recovered core barrel drill rod but unsuccessful with bit and reamer and decided to continue with productive drilling.
Dec 1 Recovered 6.05m (nearly 100%) at site TM-1C.
Dec 2 Requested 9m of NQ drill rod from Cape Roberts Project so we can reach bedrock contact. Did not have more pipe because did not expect to be able to drill this deep.
Dec 3 Decision made to not take camp to Mt Feather. Equipment is stressed and time would be better spent doing complete job at Table. However, a reconnaissance with light drilling equipment should be made to Mt Feather.
Dec 4 Helio arrives 13:30 with additional pipe and Terralink crew (Belgrave, Cairns, and Simonson) run GPS survey and photograph NW Table Mt area.
Dec 5 TD hole TM-1C at 7.29m in bedrock. Sledge compressor down hill to site TM-6.
Dec 6 Site move to TM-7 using helio to carry compressor.
Dec 7-9 Drilling slow due to many repairs and complications in drilling unfrozen clast-rich material near the surface.
Dec 10 Resupply helio due to arrive at 14:00 but delayed by mechanical problems. The NSF, Bell 212 arrives 20:30, and Dickinson, DeVries, & Cooper travel to Mt Feather for reconnaissance and test coring; Return Table Mt at 01:00 (Dec 11) to pick up Terralink GPS; Goff returns (01:30) to Scott Base for treatment of eye injury.
Dec 11 Late start! Move core box to upper helio pad. Start drilling of TM-8B. Early dinner as three of us are still quite tired.
Dec 12 BBC (Kate O'Sullivan) arrives unannounced 09:00 to film. TD hole TM-8B at 5.9m in hard dolerite clast; much core loss in this hole due to gravels.
Dec 13 Reach 9.52m in TM-7B without penetrating bedrock contact, but equipment won't allow deeper drilling.
Dec 14 Goff arrives back at Table Mt; Jennings and Goff reconnaissance of Knobhead; Cooper and load #1 of drilling equipment return to Scott Base
Dec 15 Continue temperature measurements, Goff and Jennings recon south end of Table Mt and in the afternoon recon they recon to the north. We all fill in Prentice trench dug in 1993 to look at Sirius. Light snow in late afternoon.
Dec 16 Continued temperature measurements, clean up of drill sites and reclamation of tracks with rake and broom. Finest weather day of the trip.
Dec 17 Scheduled field departure and return to Scott Base delayed because of light snow and cloud.page break
Dec 18 Dickinson, Goff, DeVries and Jennings depart (10:45) Table Mt arrive Scott Base; field gear unpacked and returned by 17:00.
Dec 19-20 R & R Scott Base while waiting for flight to Christchurch
Dec 21 Flight to Christchurch (clear skies, light wind) 11:30-18:30; night at Windsor Hotel
Dec 22 Dickinson, Goff, DeVries and Jennings depart Christchurch 08:30 for Wellington.