Emerging from the deep

For those following our blog you have heard about all the people, food, expertise on board, and scientific discoveries made, but one of our primary purposes out here is to recover cores. Here we provide a short account of the life of a core told by none other than the core itself.

I hear a little noise and feel some vibrations and before I know it I’m being picked up by a hook and I start traveling through a dark, narrow tunnel heading towards a bright light. I get drenched in seawater as I come to the end of the tunnel and suddenly I feel a chill. It is a little cooler up here than I’m used to. I emerge into a strange world full of light.

Ive spent all my life upright and immediately I am laid down on my side and I feel exposed, there’s so much space up here. A group of very tanned looking creatures wearing giant red overalls pick me up and wipe me down. I didn’t realise I was so dirty. Finally fresh and clean I start to think this isn’t too bad.

Boy did I have that wrong. I see a diamond saw approaching and somebody has decided I’m a bit too long (I thought 100% recovery was a good thing). They chop me up into sections and give me white shoes and blue hats. I also get some tattoos on my outer liner which is cool.

Core Catcher

Visual Core Description

I’m feeling pretty good with my new image and then all of a sudden all these eyes appear and start inspecting me with little lens, taking pictures of me and talking about my appearance (I’m shy). They are fascinated by the way I look and are acting like they’ve never seen a rock like me before.

At last, a savior (also known as a curator) comes and takes me to a very cold, very white,  space age room where I rest for a while. I’m woken up and placed on a track that takes me on a (slow) roller coaster ride though some high-tech gadgets.

All this drama is too much for me. Not much has happened to me in the last 66 million years so I’m sure you appreciate my exasperation.

Multi Sensor Core Logger

Reefer (refrigerated core storage unit)

Again, the savior arrives and their timing couldn’t be perfect. They take me into a big, cold dark room where I am reunited with old friends and neighbors and I feel at home again (apart from the cold, and for the fact everyone is wearing the same hat and shoes as me).

Footnote: please bear in mind the person who wrote it has been at sea for over a month working long days without a single day off.

Written by Dr. Claire Mellett – Lead Expedition Project Manager

Featured Images: Core@ECORD_IODP