An IODP core technician watches a rig floor crewman breaking the pipe connection that is part of “core on deck” operations. The core barrel travels from deep under the ocean floor to arrive on deck. The drill pipe is unscrewed, breaking the connection, and the core barrel containing the core liner and the core sample are removed. Another core barrel that has been prepared is immediately sent down the drill pipe. The core barrel and its liner free fall, in this case through 4700 m of water to the seafloor plus 700 m of drilled hole, where it lands and waits its turn for the process to begin again. (Credit: Bill Crawford, IODP/TAMU) [Photo ID: exp351_023] Back to expedition photos.