Popping Rocks
  • Science
  • Location
  • Technology
  • People
    • 2016 People

Mobilization From Charleston

Posted on March 5, 2016
by Ken Kostel

Atlantis-shipyard2 Fornari1 AD SentryVan Sentry Weights Milkcrates Alvinweights
R/V Atlantis seems big when you're on board, but that perception changes when it's next to the 250-meter cargo ship Cap Spence.
WHOI senior scientist and member of Popping Rocks' science crew Dan Fornari (blue hardhat) helps rig a van for loading.
Atlantis master A.D. Colburn oversees loading from the starboard bridge wing.
The Sentry van takes wing.
Sentry, fresh from a recent overhaul sits in its cradle, ready to go.
Members of the Alvin Team prepare stacks of descent weights for the sub.
Sometimes science relies on the darndest things--milk crates secured to the front of Alvin, for example, make excellent sample baskets.
Alvin, and its descent weights, ready to go.

Popping Rocks actually began nearly two weeks ago in Charleston, S.C. Members of the science crew descended on R/V Atlantis to load the ship, which was fresh from a maintenance drydock period, prior to it departing for Barbados where it is currently completing mobilization and picking up the full science, Sentry, and Alvin teams. (All photos by Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Uncategorized
← Newer Post
Older Post →

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

Follow along live

Tweets by @popping_rocks

Follow our expedition

Completely spam free, opt out any time.

Email address
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution logoWHOI is the world's leading non-profit oceanographic research organization. Our mission is to explore and understand the ocean and to educate scientists, students, decision-makers, and the public.
Popping Rocks
Copyright © 2022 All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy.
Problems or questions about the site, please contact webapp-support@whoi.edu
National Science FoundationThis expedition is funded by the National Science Foundation.