JA Daily Science Report for Expedition 309, 30 July 2005

 

LOCATION: Site 1256

  

SCIENCE UPDATE: Following the recovery of Core 107R on 29 July, the bit was tripped and the 4th RCB CC-9 bit installed. Before the 5th re-entry of Hole 1256D, the WSTP was successfully run and a sample of bottom seawater collected from ~4 m above the ocean floor.  Hole 1256D was re-entered at 1013 and coring resumed following hole conditioning. Core 108R landed at 1925 and recovered 2.90 m of basalts from 958.8 to 964.8 mbsf (48 %). Penetration rates continue to average ~1 m/hr. The rocks remain cryptocrystalline to fine grained, aphyric to sparsely phyric, basalt sheet flows. An excellently unique feature in this core is the presence of a fractured, chilled flow base and a number of pieces of quenched fractured basalt cemented by dark green saponite.