We have 25 hours per day! And also we have extremely wonderful sunsets! Water of the lake seems to be oil painted…
Actually there was a highly replete day. Round 10 gravity cores were lifted up from the Baikal bottom. There were 8 of them which I studied as a lithologist (in our expedition geologists have to be able to do everything!).
Today we decided to bring a visit to one of the first mud volcanoes discovered in Lake Baikal: Bolshoi (the Big One) is located at almost 1400 m water depth. An ice-cold wind is keeping us company and sheep are happily dancing up and down on the waves. On the ship, the cold and the shaking is less appreciated: woollen pullovers are unpacked and the first sea-sickness symptoms appear. A tasty breakfast and lunch helps to keep the moral stable, but the first coring stations turn out to be disappointing with few sediments and no thermal data.
The first leg of the expedition is approaching to its final. The geological and geophysical life onboard of the research vessel “G.U. Vereshagin” runs its scheduled steady rhythms. The word “expedition” in our minds now refers not only to the research process itself but to the warm company of people, who’re deeply in love with Science and Nature, amazed with the beauty of Baikal, who have met with each other here onboard and learned how to work together. We’ve learned how to understand each other, to do our work easily, with good mood; we’ve got new traditions and hobbies. Nobody would believe we’ve been here only for a few days. We’re very proud that we are “the expedition”. Only sea unites people in such a way. In such a way Baikal has united us. The day after tomorrow we’ll have to say “good bye” at the harbour and it’s definitely sad…
The start of the day was very early: at 6 am the work had already begun. Research team from Irkutsk National Research Technical University lodged their equipment and started profiling in the channel Khuray area. As the result of the day they’ve accomplished all the goals for SSS and profiler survey – have acquired new data for more than 50 km!
«The first after God»! It’s an immense effort and enormous responsibility to be the captain of nuclear submarine as well as to be the captain of a simple old vessel that is permeated with smell of fish and algae. The first after god for us in this expedition is the captain “G.U. Vereshagin” – Roman Bituskiy. Today he celebrates his 30th anniversary. The Class@Baikal team and the crew congratulates him and wish all the very best.
Krasny Yar is a cape between the Peschanaya lagoon and the river Buguldejka. There are outcrops of red color that can be seen from the middle of Baikal Lake. One of the research area of our expedition is located in front of this cape and, in accordance with traditions, is also called “Area Krasny Yar”.