“Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.” -Mike Tyson This past week, we got punched in the mouth. Heading into this expedition, I had expectations somewhere between optimistic and unrealistic. We came out here with the ability to bring back 20 pressure cores. Somewhere along the way I convinced myself that… Continue Reading GOM^2 Blog Entry 5: Punched in the Mouth

This post is a part of a series from the Genesis of Methane Hydrate in Coarse-Grained Systems: Northern Gulf of Mexico Slope (GOM^2) expedition. By Peter Polito It seems like figuring out the sea floor depth would be pretty easy with the luxury of modern technology: Sonar, seismic, acoustic, etc. However, at the end of the day… Continue Reading GOM^2 Blog Entry 4: Depth to Seafloor

This post is a part of a series from the Genesis of Methane Hydrate in Coarse-Grained Systems: Northern Gulf of Mexico Slope (GOM^2) expedition. Almost half way there! Last night, after a few minor glitches, we completed a flow test on the Pressure Core Tool with Ball (PCTB). The PCTB is a pretty special tool (only one… Continue Reading GOM^2 Blog Entry 3: Trippin’ Pipe

This post is a part of a series from the Genesis of Methane Hydrate in Coarse-Grained Systems: Northern Gulf of Mexico Slope (GOM^2) expedition.  Scale is a funny thing on this project. On one hand, there are very few projects of this scale that have ever taken place at the Jackson School. On quite another, if we… Continue Reading GOM^2 Blog Entry 2: Scale

This post is the first in a series from the Genesis of Methane Hydrate in Coarse-Grained Systems: Northern Gulf of Mexico Slope (GOM^2) expedition. The whiteboard in the galley said, “DEPARTURE 5/1 0700.” What began as an idea in June 2014, followed by lab and land trials in Utah and Central Texas in 2015, had finally… Continue Reading GOM^2 Blog Entry 1: Expedition Departs