Sediment
Characterization at Little Creek, Virginia
Athena finished up sediment sampling operations for 2011 by
collecting vibracore and surface sediment grab samples at 122 locations at
Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek, Virginia. RV Artemis was used in order to maximize
space aboard for compositing and sub-sampling samples for sediment chemistry
and physical analysis while on the water.
Athena staff maintained a clean work area to minimize the
threat of sample contamination and followed EPA and client protocols for
decontamination. Athena also maintained
close working ties with Navy personnel in order to minimize conflicts with
ships movements and to satisfy security requirements.
The project was completed ahead of schedule and under
budget.
NOV 2011
Port
Everglades Sediment Vibracoring
Athena used the RV
Artemis to collect vibracore samples at Port Everglades, Florida in support of
a Section 103 study at the harbor. High
sample volumes between 10-30 gallons per station were required in order to meet
laboratory requirements for sediment chemistry, elutriate, and physical analyses.
Athena again maintained a clean sampling environment in
order to ensure accurate and reliable field data collection. This included proper decontamination of all
sampling equipment and assisting the client in efficiently processing and
containerizing samples onboard Artemis.
Athena collected vibracore samples at 63 locations in an
impoundment area on the eastern edge of the Florida Everglades in
November. This remote area required the
use of a specialized tracked vehicle in order to access sites where airboats,
trucks, or walking would have been impossible.
Athena utilized terrestrial vibracore equipment,
deployed from the tracked vehicle, to collect samples for environmental and
geotechnical testing.
SEP 2011
Kings Bay/Port Canaveral Vibracoring
Athena completed two vibracore projects in quick succession
in Port Canaveral, Florida and Kings Bay, Georgia. Both projects were aimed at collecting
vibracore samples for Section 103 studies at both ports. Port Canaveral samples were located adjacent
to several cruise ship terminals and a planned turning basin. The Kings Bay project site was principally
offshore in the shipping channel along the St. Mary’s River. Both projects
required high sediment volumes in order to run a battery of tests for sediment
chemistry, elutriate, and physical analyses.
Both projects required adept vessel handling and awareness
of the high volume of shipping traffic at both ports in order to avoid
potential hazards from vessel movement.
Both projects were completed on time and on budget.
OCT 2011
Modern Clastics Seminar Season Wraps Up
Athena completed another busy and successful season of our
Modern Terrigenous Clastic Depositional Environments Course for petroleum
exploration geologists. Our list of
participating companies included Nautilus USA, Apache Ltd., the American
Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Schlumberger Oil Field Services,
and Chesapeake Energy.
2012’s seminar schedule is already approaching capacity and
we look forward to imparting our knowledge of modern depositional systems to
new groups of geologists keen on improving their exploration capabilities.
