Alvin's manipulator arm reaches out to retrieve a sample from the seafloor. (Mark Kurz, chief scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Eric Mittelstaedt, co-chief scientist, University of Idaho. Funder: NSF © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.)
The first science dive of the cruise was also chief scientist Mark Kurz’s first dive in Alvin, and he was greeted on deck with frozen flip-flops, Pop Rocks candy, a sign, and a few buckets of ice water. (Photo by Maris Wicks)
Alvin's sample basket sits untouched until the sub is secured. (Photo by Maris Wicks)
Dan Fornari, Adam Soule, and Megan Jones (left to right) move in at the first opportunity to inspect the samples from the first dive. (Photo by Maris Wicks)
A sample of pillow basalt in one of the collection baskets. (Photo by Maris Wicks)
An individual fragment of glassy basalt (with a finger for scale). (Photo by Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
A 22X-view of the popping sample full of tiny spherical vesicles containing gas under pressure. (Photo by Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Did it really just pop? Left to right: Kate Kaminski, Lydia Auner, Elise Rumpf, Caroline Gini, Frieder Klein, Adam Soule, Darin Schwartz, and Hannah Bercovici. (Photo by Maris Wicks)
Everyone keeps their eyes on the pressure gauge on the turbo molecular vacuum as it fluctuates, signifying even more gas release. (Photo by Mark Kurz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Of course we celebrated by eating Pop Rocks! (Photo by Maris Wicks)
Well, it didn’t take long. Just a few hours after arriving on deck from our first Alvin dive, one of the glassy fragments of basalt went “POP!” right on the sample table.
Word spread throughout the ship and we promptly celebrated with Pop Rocks. And then everyone immediately went back to the samples to see if more “POPS” were happening (they were!). More soon.
Rock on,
The Popping Rocks Team
