My First 2 Weeks in the Geophysics Department at Victoria University!

My experiences so far... AMAZING!

My 2 hosts Dr John Townend and Professor Martha Savage are just fantastic and always have their doors open if I need to ask questions!
My days at present are mainly either fieldwork on the Wairarapa coast or quiet days in the office writing up the fieldwork notes!
The current project I am working on is called the Seismic Array HiKurangi Experiment.
This is a project to provide detailed images of the earth under the Wellington - Wairarapa region by collecting data from seismometers buried in the ground. I am helping to install and collect readings from a transect (straight) line of 50 seismometers stretching from Glendhu Rocks on the west coast out from Martinborough to Paekakariki on the east coast.

On fieldwork days 2 or 3 of us collect & check equipment needed from a store at Seaview and take the 4-wheel drive out to Martinborough. From there we 'scout' for suitable places to install seismometers. We have criteria to consider - land formation, soil type (look for bedrock), north facing to power the solar panels, far enough away from vandals, distance from each other etc etc. We take GPS co-ordinates & data is collected.
We usually install 1 seismometer per trip - dig down to bedrock - Mark the technician does most of that- mix up a concrete base for the seismometer, level it, make a protective shell, & bury it. We install a solar panel for power, install back up batteries and build an electric fence around it - I am getting really good at this! Then off to scout for more suitable sites using GPS - getting good at this too! We make contact with local farmers, explain our objectives & need their permission for using their land.
Some days we start at 8.30am & return at 9-10.30pm via a meal at the Martinborough Hotel
I have been sunburned, drenched in the rain, warmed by the sun, entranced by the amazing views, zapped by an electric fence (Just a little one - you only do it once), climbed dozens of steep slopes & loved every minute of it - (well maybe not the fence)
On office days we record all the GPS data on spreadsheets, check & enter co-ordinates, & write a field report for Professor Savage. Today I did this on my own - A week ago it was a daunting task!

What I have learned over the past 2 weeks:
Fieldwork:
Preparation is so important - check & recheck that all the gear is charged & working properly nothing is left to chance.
Health & safety nothing is left to chance here either!
Criteria for installing seismometers must be adhered to - near enough is not good enough
Data there is an amazing amount of data to be analyzed for every field day. So many files to download!
Take lots of duct tape & cable ties it’s amazing what you can mend!!