Popping Rocks
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First Time

Posted on March 26, 2016
by Maris Wicks
mark_splash-1000 darin_splash-1000 dorsey_splash-1000
Josh Curtice, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Megan Jones, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Kate Kaminski, University of Idaho
Frieder Klein, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Photos by Dan Fornari, WHOI)
Elise Rumpf, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Darin Schwartz, Boise State University
Dorsey Wanless, Boise State University

There’s a first time for everything, and for a small group of people, that includes a first dive in Alvin. Rookie divers are greeted on deck with a ritual that stretches back decades: frozen shoes and a cold seawater shower. Popping Rocks 2016 had a high percentage of first-time divers, including cruise chief scientist Mark Kurz, which made for lots of cold feet and a very wet deck. (All photos by Maris Wicks, unless otherwise noted)

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About this expedition: Popping rocks revisited

We will be using the research vessel Atlantis, the submersible Alvin, and the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry, to find and collect samples of “popping rocks”—basaltic seafloor lavas that contain large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases trapped in high-pressure bubbles that pop when the rocks are brought to the surface. We intend to use these rocks to understanding the composition and origin of gases in the deep earth. This project began with an expedition in 2016 that was cut short due to mechanical problems. You can still see blog posts from the first trip here, and we will continue adding to them during the 2018 expedition.

Recent Posts

  • From Rocks to Rock Stars: A step-by-step guide to how a sample becomes a star
  • A Sacrifice to the Sea
  • Things on Ships
  • Our Cups Runeth Under
  • Traditions and Opportunities

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