Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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Serpentinised peridotite


http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/diary/diary_01-04.html

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Cruise diary


Day 28: Monday 2 April 2007
Sampling area: Dredging
Ship's position at midnight: 12º57N, 44º56W
Bramley writes:

The Start of a New Month Brings a Gem of a Find

Diamonds may be a ‘girls best friend’ but they are also the shape of pure carbon while under the enormous pressures encountered deep within the Earth’s mantle. Most diamonds are found in volcanic ‘kimberlite’ pipes that cut through ancient continental crust. But we weren’t expecting to find any diamonds in the mantle that is exposed on the seafloor out here, at 13°N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

This is because the mantle pressures are too low and the carbon concentrations too scarce to make diamond. However, as dawn broke at the start of our second month at sea, we were amazed to find small, clear crystalline shapes in the gravel from the latest dredge. In amongst fragments of fresh mantle peridotite, sparkles and glints of blue-white light caught the eye of Bob Spencer, the Deck PO on the 4-8 watch. Photographed below are the small, clear crystal sifted from the gravel. Without access to geochemical analyses, we cannot be sure of the nature of these crystals. However, a carefully controlled scratch test by Glyn Collard, the 2nd Engineer, proved them considerably harder than a pint beer-glass. Their refractive index is much higher than either water or gin, and their shape is also reminiscent of the cubic crystal structure of diamond. In a subsequent dredge we found more of the same, and even some quite large ones (although these are a bit worn and dirty on the outside). All of the crystals are clear, inclusion free, and white in colour; so only of the best quality. While we await the outcome of chemical analyses, the ‘samples’ are being kept locked up in the ship’s safe – just in case the gleam of ‘promised riches’ causes the ship’s company to mutiny.....

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http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/diary/diary_02-04.html

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Artemis
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Posts: 279



    Re: Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2007, 01:56:53 am » Quote 

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That was the last diary from the crew exploring the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the last one dating April 2, 2007.


That was nearly two weeks ago.

I hope that they are onto something and, of course, make it known to the public.

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rockessence
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Using rocks and minerals to heal the earth and us.


      Re: Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2007, 04:04:24 am » Quote 

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Just loved this Artemis!  Thanks for posting it all here.  By the way, my sister-in-law used to be married to Dan Pomeroy, the guy that invented the drill bit for core drilling  back in the early 80s.  I just now found 6 other patents that use his bit too.  Anywhere in the world where cores are drilled, they use Pomeroy bits.

Loved those diamonds they dredged up too.
 
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ILLIGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM

Thus ye may find in thy mental and spiritual self, ye can make thyself just as happy or just as miserable as ye like. How miserable do ye want to be?......For you GROW to heaven, you don't GO to heaven. It is within thine own conscience that ye grow there.

Edgar Cayce

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Artemis
Hero Member

Posts: 279



    Re: Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2007, 07:38:52 pm » Quote 

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Thanks, Rockessence, my you do get around! 

I find the whole field of underwater archaeology fascinating.  I edited the diary so that only the substantative parts remained, but even then, you can see how much trouble they have on these expeditions. With all that trouble, I find it hard to believe that they can make any judgments of what lies below with absolute certainty.

They are a bit negligent about making entries for this expedition but once they do, I will post them here.
 

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Cruise diary


Day 38: Friday 12 April 2007
Sampling area: Dredging
Ship's position at midnight: 12º57N, 44º56W
Bramley writes:

Gems, Lies and Video-diaries.

While some people seek solace at the bottom of a glass, we found ‘Truth’. Or rather, the absence of the bottom of a beer-glass led to the discovery of the truth about the source of our ‘diamonds’. But before that, as the First of April passed into the Second, and then to the Third, our delight turned from scientific wonder, to greed, and finally to suspicion concerning the amazingly prolific haul of gems from the abyss. Questions were raised and answers sought, but not before ‘diamond fever’ had spread through the ship’s company like an over-ripe banana through a chimpanzee. Whereas the rock-sample laboratory had once been the exclusive haunt of gaunt, exhausted and goggle-eyed petrologists, it had suddenly become ‘The Place’ for deck-crew, engineers and officers alike to hang-out. Such was their new-found fascination for all things Geological that we began drawing up a lecture series, starting with ‘Hutton’s Unconformity’ and the “Abyss of Time”, progressing through ‘Plate Tectonic Theory’ and concluding with ‘What Isotope Geochemistry Can Do For You’. Yet despite their obvious delight in our science, the plan of a lecture series met with little enthusiasm.

No, the interest of the ship’s company strictly lay in a ‘hands-on’ approach. So much so, that a photograph taken discreetly by a hidden camera caught them rummaging through the dredged gravel with eyes sparkling like magpies, picking at glittering gems dotted here and there. At least this explained the sudden and apparent decrease in the numbers of ‘diamonds’ we were recovering. Or so we thought.

In an attempt to recover our scientific samples, a polite notice was put-up around the ship. The emphasis was not to seek blame (we already had our suspicions), but rather to encourage the return of the material for the benefit of the scientific community. And so we went on, each eyeing the other, no-one mentioning what was on everyone’s mind. “Was that a change in ship’s course towards the Caymen islands?”. “Did you hear footsteps in the sample-store last night?”. “Who’s got the key to the safe?”. That was, until this morning. As dawn broke over a tranquil sea, the sun rising into a crystal-clear blue sky, a cry echoed out from the rock-saw lab. Tucked away at the back of a cupboard was a heavy, clear-glass beer-mug: a typically British, clear-glass beer-mug. A facetted, barrel-shaped glass, with a looped handle at its side, and a thick
glass base. Or rather more idiosyncratically, this beer mug was without its thick glass base. A fact that rendered it inadequate for its originally intended purpose. Suspiciously, the base had been sawn off. On close inspection, fragments of the sawn glass base were found lying in the dirt beside the saw. Some if these had been crudely fashioned into diamond-shaped crystals, but discarded because of some flaw or other in their manufacture. A quick comparison with our ‘gems’ revealed the ghastly truth. On reflection, it was obvious really. The fact that it deceived such an experienced and sceptical geological team like ours was embarrassing. Obviously, someone had swapped our real gems for these fakes!


So, as we approach Tenerife, on behalf of us all on the maiden science voyage of the RRS James Cook, its been great having you along with us to share in our adventure. Take care.

[Arcturus]

The infamous beer mug

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JC007 bids you farewell!

http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/diary/diary_12-04.html

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Artemis
Hero Member

Posts: 279



    Re: Drilling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
« Reply #15 on: May 19, 2007, 01:44:43 am » Quote 

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The last diary excerpt, hopefully, they release the results of their findings, and soon.