We are in the waiting place...

After thousands of miles and days of travel to know our final destination is just 200 miles away is a little disappointing. As I am learning, seldom is geologic drilling a smooth and problem free undertaking. To expect anything different at the northern most drilling site in such a remote location of the world would be foolish. Although we all want to get down to the lake, at this point our team needs to remain in Pevek to coordinate some replacement supplies for equipment that has been damaged or lost in the drilling process at the lake. This morning Julie, Volker and Kristina traveled to a nearby mining camp to consult with a local mining company.

Meanwhile Addie, Jochem, Martin and I spent time getting to know each other. We discussed family, culture and plenty of science. Martin and Jochem , from Potsdam, Germany, are on the expedition to complete the down-hole logging of the drill hole, so I received individualized tutoring on this topic from Jochem. In short, down-hole logging involves sending scientific instruments down the drill hole to take measurements that are compared with measurements from the sediment cores that are extracted. Comparing these two records is important for a complete understanding of the sediment record. I will tell you more about this when we get to the lake and I can show you the tools.

In afternoon, we all went down to a meeting at the Chaun Mine Geological Institute office. The owner, Mr. Gutov, was formerly head of the regional geologic survey. He is also the local Lake E project contractor. We discussed the challenges and potential solutions before boarding a bus/truck for our ride to dinner.

After a filling dinner of borscht, mashed potatoes and moose, we decided to take a walk down near the harbor.

 

As we got down to the frozen arctic ocean, I went out onto the ice to take some photos, soon we all were down on the ice and we decided to walk around the harbor on the frozen Arctic Ocean.

 

Further along down the harbor, we came across several ships frozen in the sea-ice. Turning around we could see the setting sun silhouetted against the cranes that lift coal and cargo from ships.

We passed through a park with many relics from the Soviet era including a statue of Vladimir Lenin.

Several local buildings still have murals of Lenin and the flag of the former Soviet Union. These images certainly provide much to contemplate considering the political climate in which I went to school 25 years ago.

We will have more time to explore Pevek in the next several days, for now I will leave you with this image of the setting sun over the Arctic Ocean.

 

T-Mart... Staying Warm in Pevek ...even though it is -5F.!