For several days, the dives have been taking place directly on the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which means the presence of solidified magma. These rocks are visible in different forms: pillow lava with sometimes lava fingers, lobate lava crust, etc. When magma rises to the surface, it cools very…
Here I am after two dives with the Nautile and I am still trying to get my thoughts together, to find the proper words to describe the incredible experience of plunging into the abyss. It had been one of my longtime dreams as a geologist to dive with the submersible…
As the title of this blog states we never imagined what was coming in our lives. We planned several dives keeping conservatives with the limit defined by Ifremer policies. The day arrived, however, all concurred to an historic performance. The Nautile team led by Xavier Placaud was running confident since…
To begin with, here is a little update on our activities: the core complex, a tectonically exposed structure consisting of mantle rocks, is now at the center of our studies. The latest Nautile dives were designed to study the tectonic structures that characterize the core complex. These are extensive and…
A big “hello to everyone” from Fabio! I am here to tell you about the second week on the ship. I will show you what happens in the laboratories during and after the Nautile dives. Before the beginning of the dives, three different working groups were formed to work on…