Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 5, 2022 23:51:05 GMT 12
No. 40 Squadron's Hercules fleet have carried a lot of weird and wonderful things over the years. Mud must be one of the more unusual. From The Press dated 17th of November 1979:
'Mud’ to rescue
More than 200 kg of “mud” from Coalgate in North Canterbury may solve a problem which has stopped an experimental drilling programme in Antarctica.
The McMurdo Sound sediment and tectonic drilling programme, being undertaken by the Antarctic Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Victoria University of Wellington, ran into difficulties yesterday. Drilling at 300 metres Into the seabed, the drill struck a sandy layer which caused continual cave-ins to the drill-hole, forcing the work to stop.
After urgent telex messages and a telephone call from Scott Base to the superintendent of the Antarctic Division (Mr R. B. Thomson), a solution to the problem was found at Coalgate — a supply of Canterbury bentonite. The special “mud” will be pumped into the drill-hole and forced out under pressure during drilling, to provide a firm wall as the drill bites its way through the sandy layer of the seabed.
Six bags of the bentonite will be taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force to Antarctica today. The mud will be delivered to the drill site this afternoon, 24 hours after the crisis began. Drilling will resume immediately.
'Mud’ to rescue
More than 200 kg of “mud” from Coalgate in North Canterbury may solve a problem which has stopped an experimental drilling programme in Antarctica.
The McMurdo Sound sediment and tectonic drilling programme, being undertaken by the Antarctic Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Victoria University of Wellington, ran into difficulties yesterday. Drilling at 300 metres Into the seabed, the drill struck a sandy layer which caused continual cave-ins to the drill-hole, forcing the work to stop.
After urgent telex messages and a telephone call from Scott Base to the superintendent of the Antarctic Division (Mr R. B. Thomson), a solution to the problem was found at Coalgate — a supply of Canterbury bentonite. The special “mud” will be pumped into the drill-hole and forced out under pressure during drilling, to provide a firm wall as the drill bites its way through the sandy layer of the seabed.
Six bags of the bentonite will be taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force to Antarctica today. The mud will be delivered to the drill site this afternoon, 24 hours after the crisis began. Drilling will resume immediately.
