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Figure 145. An airbag (A) is used to lift drilling equipment up from the sea floor, and a chartered helicopter (B) was required to airlift gear up mountains. Supplies included the gasoline generator (shown) and two 55-gallon drums of water for use as hydraulic fluid. Except for days when setup and breakdown of equipment took place, drillers climbed up to and down from the drill sites each day. (C) Drillers attach 1.5-m (5-ft) segment of core barrel to the drill and drill string in the ground. (D) Drillers use large wrenches to secure drill string and raise and remove core barrels containing limestone core. (E) Recovery of 21 m (68.9 ft) of core in 1.5-m (5-ft) sections was 100% at Muleshoe. (F) Completed drill site. TD = total depth.

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Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies > Professional Paper 1751