Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Scanning secondary minerals deep in the borehole

Last week we spent three days up at the PTA borehole site with distinguished guest Dr. Wendy M. Calvin from the University of Nevada at Reno.  She showed us how to use a field spectrometer to take spot spectral scans of secondary minerals that formed in the lower half of the borehole (~3,000-6,000 ft below the surface).  These minerals grew due to chemical weathering interaction between groundwater and the rock.  Now that the data has been collected, we'll be working and corresponding with Dr. Calvin to more accurately identify the main set of secondary minerals that are present in the hole.  These minerals will provide more information about the water and other resources deep in the borehole.  In the photo below, Dr. Calvin performs a spot scan while technician David Dow prepares the next box for scanning and Dr. Nicole Lautze takes notes on each scan location.  Drilling hand Donnie Mulliken also assists in the background with unstacking and re-stacking pallets of core boxes.   

Although there hasn't been a blog post on this site in a while, we have been busy planning for the second borehole and a water pump test of the first hole.  The pump test will happen first, stay tuned for pictures of that activity when it happens this summer!