9 September, 2001

September 9, 2001

Return to the Ridge

Today we arrived back at the infamous Gakkel Ridge. We came down from the North Pole and intersected Gakkel Ridge at a point far to its eastern end. We will now head back westward along the ridge and sample as we head towards home.

We resumed our dredging program and plan on heavy sampling until September 27. We also hope to find more interesting species of Arctic organisms and signs of hydrothermal venting on the ocean floor. Several years back (1999), evidence of volcanic activity on the ocean floor near our current location was reported. Data suggests the presence of 2 young volcanoes! The plan is to remain in this area for several days to collect as many rock samples as possible. It is hoped that this location will prove a gold mine for very "fresh" rocks and hydrothermal activity. Stay tuned, for perhaps this area will reveal the most exciting data uncovered on our expedition yet!

<> Heidi Hanson (a scientist from Norway) and Kevin Wheeler place previous dredges in buckets to make room for the new ones. We plan on collecting many samples in this volcanically active area.

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