X368 Technical Report PDF File

Yes! We have a drone!

Lab Officer' Cross-Over Notes

WILLIAM MILLS

IODP Expedition 368: South China Sea Rifted MArgin

The second of two expeditions to test the hypothesis for lithosphere thinning during continental breakup at the South China Sea rifted margin.
Science Prospectus: See URL http://publications.iodp.org/scientific_prospectus/367_368/
Operational Reports: See URL https://iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops/sitesumm.html

Technical Operations

PORTCALL Summary

Expedition 368 officially began with the first line onshore (China Wharf, Hong Kong) at 0754 on April 9, 2017 ending expedition 367. On the same day, the technical staff boarded and completed a routine crossover with the off-going staff. During the 6-day portcall, the technical staff welcomed the science party onboard, gave the safety orientation class, introduced scientist to their labs, showed them how enter and retrieve data. All logistic activities completed without issues.
During the portcall two planned and one unplanned instrument repair/testing were successfully completed:
SRM: Bill Goodman from Applied Physics (2G Enterprizes) came to the ship for three days to perform a calibration check, conduct training with the staff, and verify that the system was operational. He covered the procedures for:

• checking coil calibrations;
• measuring a response curve;
• how to identify a high trapped field;
• how to trap a low field.

Documentation on these procedures is in the IODP Share volume.
He found one source of RFI causing flux jumps on the Y-axis, which we eliminated by grounding the outer shield of the degauss cables to the outer shield of the SRM and he had us change the software to reset SQUID meters to their default values prior to each measurement sequence. Overall, he was very pleased with the system and its installation; he said it was the best "He free" system he seen so far.
NGR: we disassembled the NGR's active shielding, and removed and replaced detector #7 with a spare. The system was reassembled and calibrated without issue.
TK-4100 Bead Maker: The bead maker continued to blow fuses after an initial repair of the power module. Fortunately, we obtained a useable parts in Hong Kong, which solved the issues. The correct parts are on order.

Operational Dates:

START

• Port: Hong Kong, HK, China Merchant Wharf
• Arrived: 0745, 9 April 217

END

• Port: Shanghai, China
• Estimated Arrival: 1100, 11 June 2017

Underway Geophysics

Bathymetric data was routinely collected on all transits. The magnetometer was not deployed. The GI gun was rebuilt at the beginning of the expedition and operated without issue on one VSP run.

AREA-BY-AREA SUMMARY

Core Deck

Tracks:

• Installed the revised new PWL hardware and updated the calibration interface. New basin has been ordered for capturing the water.
• New hardware to replace the Phidget interfaces was ordered.

Magnetics Lab:

• Replaced the "blue" sample handler section of the SRM frame with T-slot system. This change opened up the space around the aft description table.
• Degauss cables are wrapped around the shield for grounding purposes, which prevents flux jumps on the Y-axis. Materials are being purchase to install a proper grounding between the cables and SRM shields.
• New instructions for the Haskris emergency chiller have been posted. We use the system numerous times whenever SEIM did maintenance on the chill water systems. Need to get as many of the staff trained on how to switch the chill water from the ship to the Haskris.

Physical properties Lab:

• We believe we have found the issue with the thermcon and the ship's electrical power. It is the GFI sockets are not compatible with the UPS. We have removed the GFI and replaced them with normal sockets. GFI sockets are not needed in this location.

Fo'c'sle Deck

Chemistry Lab:

• We had a serious failure on the ICP a service call is being schedule to fix the problem or install a new ICP.
• Installed the pre-filter for the Nano pure water system.

XRD:

• Look for parts for the Bead maker. It failed in portcall and we found a part that is working but the correct parts have been orders.
• In the last week of the cruise, the D4 threw an error on the sample position lift. Recalibration the lift cleared the error.

UPPER TWEEN

Science Pallet:

• Inventoried the D-tubes in the BAT cave.

Staging Area:

• Repaired and painted the floor.

HOLD

Core Reefer: See section below about mold in the reefer.

MOLD

Extract of an email sent to Jay…
Nearly 70% of the boxes were soaked and started to grow both green and black mold. Throughout the expedition we stripped and incinerated the boxes as room became available to stack the D-tubes on the reefer shelving. The staff wore breathing masks anytime we handled the boxes and hopefully that was enough protection.
!worddav0e0a7a2bf102569c2b50c57d2782d709.png|height=184,width=245!While we removed all of the visible mode, we are sure the place is covered in spores dispersed by the fan coils. Below is a series of photos showing the current state of the reefer. We initially just stacked the D-tubes on the shelving loose but we have since come up with a method to palletize the D-tubes (next page).


Each pallet holds ~400 D-tubes. We have built 3 so far but are limited in space until the cores are off-loaded. Once in Subic the remaining D-tubes can be palletized (3-4 more) and stored on the dock or outside on the Bridge deck. Other items in the reefer can be moved to the staging area or core lab. Everything needs to be checked for mold. We have washed the decks with a bleach solution but stopped at spraying things down as the bleach is a corrosive. The Engineers have check and cleaned the evaporators.
So my real concern is the spores and the mold we can't see.
How to prevent this issue in the future?

• Run the core reefer at 8-10C instead of 4C. A long time ago the 4C was used because it close to the bottom water temperature of the ocean. This is what SIO used for their surface piston core collection. Not really relevant to our sub-surface cores.
• When loading and unloading from the core reefer in portcall, turn the evaporator's off.
• There are two reasons the evaporators will discharge water out the vents. Either ice has formed on the fins or the drains are clogged. When that happens, we need to turn that set of evaporators off (let the ice melt or unclog the drains) and the stand-by evaporators on. In other words, is takes active management of the system. Twice a day the oiler inspects the space and we are in and out. When an issue occurs, it needs to be acted on immediately. I can't speak for the other SEIM crew but Dan is constantly cycling between the two systems and we have been dry since we left Hong Kong and it is very humid at our location.
• Dan is also adding piping for the drain system so that when the ship rolls it will drain from both sides which will prevent overspills of the drain pan.
• We are also going to buy two fans to force the air to mix and circulate throughout the space. Dan believes that when we stack boxes too high the output recirculates directly back to the intake.
• There has been talk about shutting the outside air supply off but you cannot do that for safety reasons. The air coming in is partially dehumidified (AC air) but not completely. We could look at another dehumidifier if the above does not work.

Assistant Lab Officers

Lisa Crowder & Sandra Herrmann

Summary

Expedition 368 began in Hong Kong and ended in Shanghai. Cores consisted of mixed sediment and lithified sediment material and igneous rocks. Sherry is our new addition to the core lab. She is a hard worker and always asks to understand her tasks better. She fits in well.

AMS/Inventory

• A Visio flow diagram for "Ship Purchasing Cycle" from idea to ship storage was developed.
• Training on this idea as well as AMS refresher training for all staff.
• A shipping SOP created on 367 was reviewed.

Special projects

• Upper Tween Landing cracks repaired and floor painted.
• In preparation for upcoming HF handling on EXP 371 all supplies were checked and in coordination with the doctor restocked. Preparation for Centrifuge parts for the Palynologist were discussed with Peter Blum (Staff Scientist on EXP 371).
• Core reefer mold on D-tube boxes from 367 had to be kept under control. Individual D-tubes were removed from wet and/or moldy boxes and transferred into the reefer shelves once these were dry. Three pallets worth of individual D-tubes(~1000) are palletized for easy movement and an example of how loose d-tubes can be contained. Mold remediation has been requested for Subic Bay.

Shipment

368 Shanghai:

• There will be NO IODP Shipments going off or coming on the ship in Shanghai, all shipments will be differed to Subic Bay.*

*With one exception, a 367 scientist YF Chen will come to the JR on June 11 to remove frozen and regular samples to hand carry. Frozen samples will be packaged in a cooler with blue ice.
368P Subic Bay

• Offgoing
  • Air Freight to IODP (RAF)
  • Express Boxes to IODP (EXP) Publications and Pipetors.
  • Foreign Air Freight minimal (FAF)
  • Core and surface combined freight to IODP (CORE/SURF) One or Two Reefer Containers. Include the SRM testing cores in the return core shipment to the GCR.
  • Operations equipment (FLAT x 2)
• Oncoming
  • The majority of supplies for 371 will arrive in Subic Bay.

CORE Description, SEM, Micropaleontology preparation Lab

Aaron de Loch

Summary

Expedition 368 was a continuation of Expedition 367 South China Sea Rifted Margin. Core recovered varied from soft oozes to basement, with metamorphosed sedimentary rock and altered basalts. The DESClogik templates were copied from Expedition 367 and renamed as 368 with a few minor adjustments and additions.

• No major issues occurred with DESClogik. The paleo configuration species finder macros were updated to include newly added species from both expeditions.
• The SEM was used regularly. The service logbook created by Racheal was updated.
• The Thin Section Report Builder and Writer were used for all shipboard thin sections, of which over ~60 were taken at the time of this report.
• The Micropaleontology Wet Laboratory was used heavily.
• BugWin was not used.

ISSUES/DEVELOPMENTS/To BE noted

DESClogik

The latest DESClogik version is 16.1.0.11

1. Issues

• Only one minor issue occurred on this expedition. When I downloaded in DESC by hole, some the hole's sample intervals used drilled depth (U1501A, and B). Typically, recovered depth is used (U1501C). In the two holes noted, the core catcher section descriptions would not appear. This should be mentioned to Tim Blaisdell on Expedition 371.

1. Developments

• I have decide to stop naming the value list files with the author and date extensions. The ship's value list manager tracks this.
• For paleontology, we will no longer use the specific abundance codes on all expeditions. This is the recommendation of the Geology Lab Working Group. We will only use generic letter codes (A= abundant, R=Rare, etc...) and the scientists will define the percentages in their methods.
• I discovered a DESClogik feature that allows the user to copy descriptions to deeper sections and cores. Just select the next core/section click on a blank cell, and right click the sample cell. A popup window allows you to select Extend to Section. I added this to the Tips and Best Prcatices for DESClogik guide.
• I created a frequently asked questions troubling shooting guide. The guide is intended to help non-description technicians answer the most common DESClogik issues when DESC admins are not on shift. It is written like a trouble-shooting guide. I placed a copy in the IODP_Technical_Manual folder and in the All Things DESClogik folder.

Paleoontolgy wet LAB

• Four new hot plates were requisitioned, two with stirrer capabilities. They are pending approval.

Thin Section Report Builder and Writer

• Thin section reports were created for all thin sections descriptions, and all viable thin sections were described in DESCLogik.
• There are no new issues or developments to report.

SEM

I investigated the high magnification poor image quality problems reported by Expedition 367 scientists. Dr. Xinag Su sent us images he had taken on Expedition 359, which he said were of good quality, and I compared them with images I took of the same species on this expedition at the same magnification and higher (~10K). The images taken on this expedition appeared to be better.
The reason for the poor image quality is unknown, though I suspect the cable that came loose (issue described below) might be responsible. It is worth noting that the sea state at the time was very calm. All the images have been added to the SEM QAQC folder in the All Things DESClogik folder, including reference mesh images.
The SEM is scheduled for a vendor service call in Townsville portcall at the start of Expedition 371.
The Leica Sputter Coater will be sent back to College Station for servicing at the end of this expedition, and is to be returned to the ship prior to the start of EXP 371.

1. Issues

• The SEM became unable to display any image, with the screen being just grey static. A small multi-wire cable was found on the floor of the specimen chamber (figure below). Gerrick was able to reattach the cable and imaging was restored. The cable ports are hard to see so some photos have been added to the SEM QAQC folder.
• The cable appeared kinked, so I requested David Houpt have a spare brought to the Townsville portcall by the vendor technician.

SEM Cable

Shippments

• Leica Sputter Coater, to shore for service. To be returned to the ship by the start of Expedition 371.

Data Backup

• All DESClogik data was exported to excel and saved on a hole-by-hole and template-by-template basis to data1/10.1 Core description, and copied to Uservol.
• All smear slide sheets were scanned and saved to data1/10.1 Core description.
• All SEM files (jpg, tiff and txt) were saved to data1/25.1 SEM and uploaded to LIMS (by the scientists).
• In order to sink all google value lists on ship/shore all current value lists (main and sub), were copied from "All things DESC" on IODP Share to data1/10.1 Core description.

MAGNETICS LAB

BETH NOVAK

Expedition 368: South China Sea Rifted Margin
Scientists: Sara Satolli, Eric Ferre, and Huaichun Wu

Summary

During Exp 368 the SRM was used for measuring sediment and hard rock core sections as well as discrete samples. Due to some issues with the IMS software, the scientists opted to stop using the SRM for discrete samples midway through the expedition. The JR6 #90769 was then utilized for measuring all discrete specimens. At Site U1505 the scientists only measured NRM steps on the SRM due to a discrepancy between the JR6 and SRM data. Discrete specimens were thermally demagnetized with the ASC oven and were also demagnetized with the DTECH 2000 alternating field demagnetizer. The SRM warmed to room temperature after an incident with the chill water pumps, but the SRM and compressor were restarted and a low field was trapped. The SRM continued functioning as normal after this incident. The system was switched between ship's chill water and Haskris chill water supply multiple times throughout the expedition without any issue. Orientation data was collected at Site U1501 Holes A-C and U1505 Holes A-D.

Issues

SRM

Service Call in Hong Kong
Bill Goodman from Applied Physics visited during the Hong Kong portcall to perform a calibration check and conduct training exercises with the technical staff. He covered the procedures for checking the coil calibrations, measuring a response curve, and identifying a high trapped field and how to trap a low field. Documentation on the procedures that Bill Goodman described has been produced and placed in IODP Share.
We also discussed our frequent issues with flux jumps on the Y axis. During an experiment with a play core we were able to replicate this issue (Figure 1). Upon investigation, we found the shielding on the degaussing cables to be the culprit. Because the braided shielding ends before the connector, RFI noise traveling on this line was being transmitted into the SRM along the degaussing cable connections and in some cases, the cores were conducting this noise directly into the measurement region. By wrapping the degaussing cables around the mu-metal shielding, we were able to significantly reduce the number of flux jumps (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Degaussing Cables wrapped around mu-metal shielding on SRM to prevent RFI noise from traveling along the cables into the SQUID region. Black arrow indicates the portion of cable where RFI noise jumps onto the cable. Figure 2: Flux Jump Signal on Y axis seen on oscilloscope when measuring a sediment core
IMS SRM Code Changes
Code changes implemented during the expedition included:

• The delay between each characters sent in a command string to the degausser was increased to 20 ms on the advice from Bill Goodman. It was hope this would eliminate degauss errors. It did not.
• Reset SQUID all meters controls to their default settings at the beginning each measurement run, not just when the program is first launched. Unfortunately, when the change was made, the pulse-reset command was accidently deleted and the counts were not zeroed prior to the drift measurement. Fortunately, the values of the meters at the time of the drift measurement were saved and we are able to correct for the drift.
• Implementing the Offline Treatment function to ensure files were properly labeled with treatment information. Prior to this change if Offline treatment was selected, a technician was required to hand edit the treatment type and value in each file.
• Updating DAFI utility to export data upon measurement completion.
• Correcting time stamp issues in the header of the SRM file and in the file name itself.
• Adding ship's heading as a component in the time series utility
• Background data is saved in a .csv file rather than the .ini file

Software Related Issues:

• Figure 3: The Z moments from 4 tray background measurements. The data that appeared to have a constant intensity had Tray 3 applied. This tray had high moments on all three axes. The background measurements overpowered the core measured moments. To correct the data we used the background moments from Tray 1.
  The scientists noted that the intensity of the samples were not changing with demagnetization. This was first noticed in U1501C 19F-26F. The problem was traced to a missing counter reset in the IMS software. After days of measuring cores, the counts on each SQUID axis had increased. When a new background was measured the measured field was artificially high (Figure 3) and when it was applied to the data it overpowered the signal from the cores. The reset issue was fixed immediately within the code. All of the section data from U1501A, B, and C (through U1501C 40X 1) were canceled and a new background measurement was applied to the raw measurements. The data was re-uploaded after corrections.
• After the offline treatment utility changes, the scientists noted the intensity of their samples was increasing in a stair step pattern after the 250 degree temperature step. The problem was eventually tracked to a missing set of commands in the IMS code. The code did not send the drift 1 command, which caused the software to also skip the reset of the SQUID counters. Investigations into data recovery were done, but due to the nature of the problem, no correction was found. The IMS software has been corrected and drift 1 and the reset commands are being sent for offline treatments. This issue did not affect section halves or cubes measured without an offline treatment designation.
• Time out errors from the degausser have been a consistent issue since the new SRM and IMS SRM software were installed. This error was caused by a delay set in the IMS software to prevent the time out error. The status message was occasionally missed while the software was waiting for a signal from the degausser. Once this delay was removed we no longer saw the degausser time out errors.

Hardware Related Issues:

• On April 28^th, 2017 the chill water pump on the JR shut down. When this occurred the compressor on the SRM shut off due to low flow. Due to miscommunication, the compressor was not restarted for a matter of hours although the chill water was turned on within a half hour of shutting down, leading to the SRM losing the trapped field. Once the system was restarted, the low field trapping procedure was followed. There was some difficulty in trapping a low field due to the sea state. A new field profile was measured once the SRM had settled.

The documents for dealing with a chill water shut down have been updated and distributed more widely so that all technical staff should be able to handle this situation in the future to avoid warming the SRM during an expedition. Documentation has been placed in IODP Share.

• On May 2^nd we noted that the degaussing system was not functioning properly. The degausser was unable to ramp up on the Z axis, even to low fields. The issue was traced to a bad connection on the cable connected to the Z axis. Disconnecting and reconnecting the cables solved the issue. The X degausser cable is currently on the Z coil and the Z degausser cable is on the X coil.

We must be careful when detaching these cables as it is possible for the user to detach the back of the cable from the connector by unscrewing the wrong part.

• In order to investigate the effects of ship's heading on the sensitivity and noise level of the SRM, a 360 degree spin was done with the JOIDES Resolution while the SRM time series utility collected the moments from the X, Y, and Z SQUIDS and ship's heading. The Z axis is the most affected by ship heading. Full results are located in IODP Share: Pmag Documents.
• Load Zone of SRM was replaced to add extra support to the shield extension and to narrow the frame of the SRM.
• The scientists opted to stop measuring demagnetization steps on SRM at Site U1505 due to a discrepancy between the SRM and JR6. It has been suggested that a hardware issue with the SRM may be the cause and further investigation during the Shanghai portcall workshop is necessary.
• The user guide was updated to reflect changes made to the software and to further explain the utilities available in the software.

JR6

• JR6 #90769 was squeaking when the brass actuator moved up and down. The screw assembly that moves the actuator up and down was disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled (Figure 4). The JR6 operated without the squeaking after cleaning. Eventually the squeak returned and further cleaning was done.
• Figure 4: Screw assembly within JR6 for moving actuator up and downBoth JR6 units have deterioration in the vibration dampening foam, but #91063 is worse. JR6 91063 will be returned to AGICO following the expedition for maintenance.
• Faulty U3 board for JR6 power supply (broken during 359) will be shipped to AGICO following Exp 368.
• AGICO indicated through email correspondence that lubricating the parts inside the JR6 is not necessary. If we determine it is necessary they recommend a mineral based or graphite based lubricant.

ASC Oven

• ASC oven was used extensively for thermal demagnetization of discrete samples. The oven does tend to overshoot at lower temperatures, which is typical with a system like this. But we may want to investigate the thermal variation within the oven.

Orientation Tools

Both Icefield and Flexit orientation tools were run at Site U1501 for Holes A- C and U1505A-D.

• The new solid brass t-bar adapter, which does not have a rubber shock absorber in the center, was used for all orientation runs. This adapter was designed to test if the 150 degree offset in orientation data is originating from the t-bar adapter. Results were inconclusive.
• Calibration data stored in tool 2052 is blank. Icefield provided the proper calibration information and it has been saved to the Pmag_documents folder.
• CreateInclinfile4.exe has updated calibration values for all three Icefield tools.

Kappabridge

• E4: Level Error message reported on Kappabridge KLY-4S while using the AMSspin software.

The message appeared when the sample holder tried to return to the up position. The down speed was approximately 3.5 seconds, but upward movement took 3.8-4.15 seconds.
Figure 5: Gear for driving Kappabridge sample handler rotation prior to cleaning.Cleaning was performed on the plastic column and sample handler. The issue persisted. The Kappabridge also started making a clicking noise as the sample holder moved into the up position. The belt for the sample handler rotation was slipping on the gear inside the Kappabridge. The inner white gears were found to be sticky (Figure 5). Garrick cleaned the Kappabridge and gears thoroughly and reassembled the instrument. Another set of up-down motion timing tests was completed with down motion completed on average in 3.08 seconds and up motion in 3.19 seconds. No further errors were noted. A document explaining the AGICO gear cleaning process has been placed in IODP share. Note: AGICO does not recommend lubricating the gears.

IODP Expedition 368 - Paleomagnetic Team (SCIENTIST'S) Report

By Sara Satolli, Huaichun Wu and Eric Ferré
Expedition scientists sailed from April 9 to June 11, 2017 on the Joides Resolution and regularly used all the instruments available in the Paleomagnetic Laboratory:

• 2G Superconducting Rock Magnetometer (SRM) 760
• Agico JR-6A spinner magnetometer
• ASCScientific D-2000 AF demagnetizer
• ASCScientific TD-48SC thermal demagnetizer
• ASCScientific IM10-30 impulse magnetizer
• Agico Kappabridge KLY-4S

Approximately, a total of ≈3,634 discrete tests were performed on the JR-6A, ≈1,799 discrete tests on the SRM, ≈3,461 section test on the SRM, and ≈120 To checkdiscrete tests were performed on the KLY-4S.
This report highlight the main instrumental and technical difficulties encountered during the expedition with the hope that it will assist in troubleshooting most if not all of the issues. While this report emphasizes the problems encountered, our experience in the Paleomagnetic Laboratory has been overall very positive and we praise the continued, highly qualified assistance that we received from the entire IODP technical staff. They went above and beyond their duties to help us solve issues as we brought them to their attention. A loss of cryogenic conditions was caused by repairs performed on the ship chiller. This incident must be prevented in the future by switching immediately to the backup chiller. The technicians have posted clear instructions on the wall at the bow end of the paleomagnetic lab.

1. 2G Superconducting Rock Magnetometer (SRM) 760 Helium free

Measurement of sections proved difficult in the case of weakly magnetic sediments and due to a significant drilling overprint in materials with soft magnetic assemblages. The 3-D position of the split core on the track does seem to affect reproducibility and accuracy. Issues regarding zeroing of drift and background between sections was rectified by Bill Mills.
Measurement of discrete samples shows that the magnetization intensities differ by over an order of magnitude between discrete samples and sections (both measured on the SRM). Differences larger than one order of magnitude were also observed between discrete samples measured both on the SRM and JR-6A. This suggests that the SRM may not be properly calibrated and that the current SQUIDS might be too sensitive to precise position of the specimen.

2. Agico JR-6A spinner magnetometer

Measurement of discrete samples was performed using both automatic and manual sample holders. Two sample holder plastic screws were broken during the expedition and need to be replaced. The Rema6W software (version 6.2.3) crashed multiple times when toggling from acquisition to data display mode. It also crashed a few times when attempting to measure the same specimen multiple times.

3. ASCScientific D-2000 AF demagnetizer

Demagnetization of discrete samples was performed up to 120 mT. The controlling software crashes systematically when the computer goes to sleep and this requires restarting the top amplifier.

4. ASCScientific TD-48SC thermal demagnetizer

Demagnetization of discrete samples was performed up to 700ºC. The furnace functioned adequately and the user interface is straightforward. Users should be warned about the importance of letting samples cool down to at least 27ºC inside the furnace before removing them. The temperature overshoot can be avoided by setting target temperatures 10ºC below the desired step and once this temperature is stable increasing to target temperature. The residual field inside the furnace was measured at room temperature using the fluxgate probe at 60 nT. We believe that some samples did acquire magnetization at high temperature inside the furnace. An additional "light-footprint" dynamic shield (John Shaw type), around critical areas of the laboratory might be an option to consider.

5. ASCScientific IM10-30 impulse magnetizer

Magnetization of discrete samples was performed up to 2.3 T. Users recommend that the different coils are clearly labeled and that tables converting voltage into field are posted on the front of the instrument. A small band of paper (25 x 200 mm) was useful to insert and remove samples from the instrument.

6. Agico Kappabridge KLY-4S

For measurement of the anisotropy of magnetic remanence (AMS) of discrete samples two programs are available: AMSSpin (Jeff Gee) and Sufar (Agico). AMS was measured in between steps of thermal demagnetization to monitor possible mineralogical changes. For strongly anisotropic samples, the AMS measurement provides an average in multiple dimensions that is better that measurement of bulk magnetic susceptibility. AMS was also measured to obtain the sedimentary fabric of sediments and magmatic/tectonic fabric of basement rocks. Users found Sufar to be more user-friendly than AMSSpin, particularly referring to data exporting capabilities.

PHYSICAL PROPERTY LAB

Sherry Frazier, and Aaron de Loach

Summary

Expedition 368 saw relatively few issues with the lab equipment. We had software upgrades on the STMSL and SHIL, and re-routed power source for the T-CON. The NGR was fitted with a new detector (#7).
Bill will be deploying an updated and better synchronized IMS code (IMS10) on most track systems. The main purpose of the new code is to aid in re-installation on the new instrument hosts. The software has been tested throughout this expedition and finalization will happen during the transit to port at the end of this expedition. Extensive testing will need to be done regardless on all instruments that are replaced during 371T with Windows 10 hosts. See Developer's report for details
All data has been backed up to Data 1 and removed from the local drives at the end of the expedition.

Individual Measurement Systems

moisture and density (MAD)

The MAD station ran without issue. The PP scientists regularly performed MAD tests throughout this expedition. Pycnometer cleaning and calibration were performed throughout the expedition.
As the result of sharing PMAG and MAD cubes, a recurring discussion occurred as to how to dry cubes, who gets it first, and how to enter the samples. The PMAG and Phys Props scientists experimented with drying cubes in the shielded thermal demagnetizer, and various other procedures of weighing and drying. One or more scientists were usually unsatisfied with the result. Either way a consistent sample entry is important.
To remain consistent with how PMAG and MAD shared samples are entered into the database and avoid reassigning potentially hundreds of tests, I (Aaron) recommend the procedure outlined in the small word document that lives in the Phys Props folder under "MAD MAX Stuff."
In short, since MAD needs the analyses to be created before anything can be run in MAD MAX software, shared PMAG cubes should be entered only once as a MAD test, and with the name "PMAG_MAD".  The P-MAG software creates the P-MAG tests when the analyses run.
However, if it is decided, a cube is to be shared after it has been entered/run in PMAG lab, then physical properties scientists must use the "Assign New Samples" feature in the MAD MAX directly.  This feature will add the necessary analyses and assign them to the PMAG text ID.  These are searchable by all the usual filters.

shear strength statioN

This instrument was not used on this expedition.

shear strength manual measurements

Torvane and penetrometer measurements were not taken.

velocity gantry

The Velocity Gantry system was regularly used to measure the multiple axis velocities of split sections. The calipers locked up a few times, reset limits to unlock calipers, were cleaned and couplant added as necessary.

WHOLE ROUND multisensor logger (WRMSL)

At the beginning of the expedition the P-wave was not collecting a usable signal. After examination we discovered the transducers were corroded and very loose. That part of the apparatus was disassembled, cleaned, pit marks buffed out, lubricated and reassembled. P-wave resumed normal functions. The same thing occurred later in this expedition; the cause was muddy liners being sent thru tracks. Again, transducers were disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and normal functions resumed. Recommend cleaning liners before sending through the track.
The spring on P-wave broke, and we replaced the spring on 5/3/2017. On two separate occasions the P-wave motor was hot and amps were found to be high. Amperage was adjusted and performance resumed as normal. We never discovered what caused the random high amperage. It occurred when "not in use". Update on User Guide image on pg. 2 with screen shot displaying max length feature. The feature successfully excludes intervals at the ends of a section, i.e. empty liner portions of hard rock sections. I made a footnote on side to enter max length on hard rock to exclude offset.
Instrument was calibrated and cleaned, and changed the water on a regular basis.

Special track multisensor logger (stmsl)

Bill continued testing of software and hardware on the STMSL, with various changes, updates and improvements being made. The STMSL should be ready for use with the P-Wave logger at the end of this expedition.
There are two things to note. If a water core is left in the P-Wave with the water pump on, water will run onto the counter, and possibly drip onto the pump. A different tray has been requisitioned, but the problem is water runs down the bottom of the core and out of the instrument before dripping onto the counter. Testing during 371T would be helpful. The calibration procedure has changed since last expedition, with step-by-step instructions now on screen.

Section half image logger (shil)

The SHIL saw normal sediment-core usage this expedition, as well as whole-round 360 degree imaging. A major software update was made on 5/21/2017. Bill made several changes to the layout and look of the screens, though the basic functionality for section-half imaging remains the same. At the request of technicians and ALOs, Bill added a crop feature to the 360 imaging which allows the quadrant images to be displayed in LIVE. This feature was used successfully.

section half multisensor logger (SHMSL)

The SHMSL ran throughout the expedition. The bulb was changed at the start of the expedition and on 5/19/2017. No hardware adjustment were performed.
A scientist discovered a bug in the software that swapped the column headers for Chroma and Hue in the normalized spectra file. The file were/are uploaded to the database, so if a user batch downloads linked files, the column headers were switched. Bill corrected the bug halfway on this expedition, Aaron corrected the old files from this expedition, and Algie re-uploaded them. However, the bug was likely introduced when the new QE Pro spectrometer was deployed. Therefore, several prior expeditions of data will have to be checked for the incorrect column headers and should be addressed on shore.

Natural Gamma Radiation (NGR)

At the beginning of the expedition the NGR was fitted with new detector #7 which required complete disassembling of the unit.
On occasion when the bar-code was scanned, the information was not parsed correctly, thus not allowing data to upload. Scanned and rescanned a sample several times to attempt to detect source of error. Found that Text-ID and Label-ID fields were not filling correctly. Copied a snip-it to show software personnel. Also put a note on screen for users to double check both fields to ensure data download.
NGR ran nearly constantly with no major problems. Updated image in User Guide on page 20 with image displaying line on appropriate peak. The calibration procedure outlined in the user guide needs a serious overhaul. It should be much more step by step, as for a beginner, the figures should be numbered and they should appear on the same page as the step they refer to. Energy calibration checks were performed on 4/12, 5/25/2017, and Background scan 5/26/2-17.

Thermal conductivity

The T-Con station was used throughout this expedition. There were the usual issues with alternating UPS power when running the puck and wall-power with the probe. We discovered that the UPS and the GFI outlets are not compatible and that the GFI outlets need to be removed per UPS manufacturer's documentation). Because this no water used in the area, removing the GFI outlets should not be a safety issue.
However, the wall outlet tripped so much that an extension cord had to be run to another outlet on the wall across from the T-Con station. SIEM needs to remove the GFI outlet and move the outlet above the insulating box.

downhole/Wireline tools

Keith Dupuis

Overview

APCT-3 data were collected at two Holes (4 cores at each hole.) Wireline logging data were collected at three sites. The data transfer from the JR to Lamont and back worked with no issues. I was trained in using the APCT-3 by the ET's and EE. Also, the EE provided introductions/trainings on the different tools in the Downhole tools lab (SET2, T2P, etc.) One of the Scientists was very interested in Core-Seismic-Logging integration and creating synthetic seismograms. With their guidance, I assisted them by helping them "push the right buttons" in the Petrel software to load and plot the data in the first two weeks.

Core-Seismic-Logging Integration (CSLI)

Assistance plotting data (Phys. Props. core data in TWT domain, seismics and synthetic seismograms) in Petrel was requested during Port call. Scientists provided time-depth relations (possibly from Exp 367) to estimate the depths of features/horizons in their seismic images nearest to the planned Exp. 368 sites. Physical properties data (from core) were plotted on the seismic images in Petrel. Synthetic seismograms were created using the "Seismic well-tie" tool in Petrel. Seismic horizons/interpretations were highlighted/created using Petrel. I assisted the scientists by helping them "push the right buttons" in the Petrel software to load and plot the data in the first two weeks. The proprietary seismic data were considered private. Access to these data were limited, including access to the two logging computers with the proprietary seismic data (from CNOOC.) I was asked to not copy or backup any of these data.
The CSLI Scientist's mentioned that it was helpful to get a "quick view" of the synthetic seismograms and to plot depth data on a time-axes using Petrel. However, I think they ultimately prefer to use their own software (possibly Matlab) for further detailed analyses.
I created unofficial one-page Petrel Reference Guides for four specific scenarios. The titles of the Reference Guides are listed below:

1. Workflow Guide: Loading LIMS and Wireline data into Petrel;
2. Workflow Guide: Plotting depth data on a TWT axes in Petrel;
3. Workflow Guide: Creating Synthetic Seismograms in Petrel;
4. Workflow Guide: Creating/Drawing Seismic Horizons and interpretations in Petrel.

The reference guides were created for future personal reference. They do not fit the IODP guidelines for a Quick Guide. They are one-page references containing mostly software screenshots. The Guides may work as a starting place for future Expedition Scientists and Technicians.

Wireline logging

Wireline logging data were collected at Sites/Holes U1501D, U1502B and U1505C. At the first site, both the raw and processed files were submitted to the Science Party (copied to Uservol.) However, some confusion arose about the difference between the files. The Schlumberger Engineer requested that only processed downhole files from Lamont be made available to the Science Party.
The data were copied to data1.

DOWNHOLE TOOLS

APCT-3 data were collected at U1501C and U1505B using temperature tool # 1858034. The Electronics Engineer loaded the calibration file onto the Downhole PC at the start of the Expedition. In-situ equilibrium temperatures were estimated using TP-Fit, and the data were uploaded to LIMS using the Downhole Temperature Uploader software. Log sheets were recorded manually while the temperature tool was deployed. A "bottom water" temperature was obtained using the raw temperature data and the log sheets to determine when the temperature probe was sitting at the mudline. The temperature at the mudline was used as the bottom water temperature.

IMAGING & MICROSCOPES

TIM FULTON

Summary

Expedition 368 has been a low recovery, but successful expedition. The main focus of my work was to proof the line scan images for all the core recovered, photograph all close-up requests, produce or edit the weekly photos and write the captions, produce the group photos, t-shirt stencil production and co-ordinate the ironing party, assist the scientists with microscope set-up and issues and provide assistance on the catwalk with the core retrieval.
The exposure/white balance of the SHIL was checked between sites and adjusted as needed.

Equipment & Software Performance Summary

I used Photoshop to edit/produce images for the cruise. Image Grabber to download the line scan images and Excel to sort the data for the SHIL images. These all worked fine as expected.

General Duties Performed

• Generated the "mug photos"
• Downloaded and proofed all of the line scan core images.
• Downloaded and stitched 360 composites.
• Photographed the close-up requests.
• Photographed and edited the weekly photo submissions and produced the captions.
• Produced all of the group photos.
• Printed the T-shirt stencils and coordinated the ironing party.
• Assisted with the core retrieval on the cat walk.

Additional duties

None.

Issues

Image Capture : The thin section module retains the interval last used in the close-up module as a field in the file name. This bug should be resolved and a determination as to whether the interval should be in the thin section file name.

Image Files Produced

• 291 Close-ups Images
• 58 Thin-section Images
• 633 Line Scan Images
• 97 360 composites
• 54.76 GB Still Images

Microscopes

• The microscopes were set up as needed in the main lab.
• The inventory of the objectives will be completed as per every expedition. There had been a lingering issue with two sets (4) objectives sharing inventory numbers. This inventory number is not an AMS type of number rather it serves the Imaging Specialist and others to keep up with locations and count.
• To close, the microscope lab equipment available and overall layout of the lab is strong and well suited.
• The microscopes will be cleaned for the next Expedition.

Issues:

• Another Spot camera should be ordered for an SV-8.

CHEMISTRY LAB TECHNICIANS REPORT

LISA BRANDT & AARON MECHLER

OVeRVIEW

Expedition 368 was the second half of a two-part expedition in the South China Sea. It was a mix of sediment and hard rock.

Requisitions

I'm starting this section to keep track of special non-inventory items ordered for the chemistry lab. At the beginning of this cruise, we received a tubing fitting assortment kit from Sigma Aldrich. This has been stored under the "island" benchtop in the middle bay of the lab, across from the alkalinity titrator.
We found the new apron/baseplate section for the acid fume hood. It had been stashed down in the hold reefer. This has been moved to the cold room, on the shelves underneath the glove box, with "Save for Moogy" written on it.

• I requisitioned the following items for the chem lab during x368:
• 6 more blue plastic trays/tubs
• 2 magnetic stir bar retrievers, to be stored in the stir bar drawer
• 1 "parts bin" from Home Depot, to store all the little plastic parts and tubing for the IC
• RBS 25 concentrate, to be used for cleaning ICP glassware
• "Eluo" nebulizer cleaner, device that forces fluid through a glass concentric nebulizer to clean it.

Ampulator

The Adelphi ampoule sealer was not used.

Balances

No issues to report for the Cahn & Mettler balances.

Carver Presses/Squeezers

We replaced the piston of the middle Carver press halfway through the expedition. After replacement, the Squeezer would work for a few hours, but then would lock in an upright position, and you would not be able to lower the pedestal. We took the pump apart, and Garrick replaced it with the squeezer from downstairs. It was eventually figured out that there was a compressed spring and ball bearing on the manual jack part of the faulty pump, and this was causing air to leak into the middle chamber, making it impossible to release the pressure.
We did a physical count, and it appears we have no complete rebuild kits for the pumps. I have zeroed them out to trigger the shopping list.

Cary Spectrophotometer

The Cary was used to analyze ammonium and phosphate, with no issues to report

CHNS

The CHNS was used. It did have one minor problem, in that occasionally the tray would seem to not advance to the next sample. We couldn't determine any cause for this. It happened three times over the course of the expedition, over running almost 600 samples. We have decided to keep an eye on this and see if the problem continues to crop up. We generally run the CHNS in batches of 10-20 samples, with a check standard & blank injection every 10 samples, so it's easy to determine if the autosampler has come off track.
The scientists were interested in determining Sulfur quantities, as the core contained visible amounts of Iron Pyrite (FeS2). At the same time, the scientists did not want to do another cycle of weighing, with us having to reconfigure the instrument to optimize for sulfur analysis. We decided to extend the run time for the CHNS to obtain the Sulfur peak, and also add Vanadium Pentoxide to the samples to help drive off the sulfur during combustion. The peak shapes were quite broad, but we were able to get decent calibration curves using the Buffalo River Sediment standard. The scientists used the data as a relative check to see if Sulfur was present.
We exported the data as areas, in addition to Element % as per Vinny's request. This data is stored in the x368 folder on the coulometer computer.

Coulometer

The Coulometer was used, no problems to report.

Freeze-drier

There were no issues with the freeze-drier.

Fume hoods

No issues to report. Again, the new baseplate for the acid hood is stored in the cold room on the shelving under the glove box.

Gas Lines/manifold

No issues to report.

GC3/NGA1

Both GCs were calibrated. All headspace samples were analyzed on the GC3. There were no issues with either unit.

Hydrogen generators

No issues with the hydrogen generators.

IC

The IC was used to measure cations and anions on the IW samples. We did have a couple instances, where during long runs, the pumps would lose pressure. This also appeared to happen once last expedition, according to the blue book.
I did notice some particulates in the bottom of the Eluent bottles. I have rinsed out both bottles. It might be a good idea to order some filters for the tubing in the eluent bottles. Our rep who installed the IC did not use the filters, because he felt that sometimes microbial growth could occur on the filters, but I believe it's more of a standard practice to use the filters.
This cruise we also used the new Hamilton Auto-diluter. It appears to work very well, and we were happy with its performance.

ICP

The ICP was used to measure minor elements on the IW samples, and many sediment samples.
We used the new ICP Analyzer (still needs a new name) excel calculating sheet. We had an issue where the sediment data, on the uploader format tab, was being uploaded in a format that parsed into LIMS reports improperly. Instead of one row with many columns, there were many rows and one columns. Vinny fixed this issue on shore, and sent us a new data calculation workbook. The data was parsed correctly with the new spreadsheet.
IW glassware is currently installed on the ICP.
On May 16, there was a major problem with the ICP. We could no longer get the plasma to ignite.
We first tried the following basic tasks:

• Replaced all the O-rings in the nebulizer adapter
• Changed the Argon source
• Changed out the torch.

None of this helped. The only interlock that would sometimes come on was RF Power current. We contacted Leeman labs and they gave us some procedures to try. We removed the covers around the torch compartment to check for damage. The electrical boards on the side panel looked fine. I then removed the Oscillator compartment cover. We observed damage inside the oscillator compartment. The zip ties holding wires in place had been burned, there were spots on the covers where there had been electrical arc damage. One of the covers looked bent due to this damage. One of the plastic spacers that holds the oscillator tube in alignment also was melted. Garrick and I removed the capacitor for the igniter, and cleaned it and the connectors with some isopropyl alcohol. We then re-installed the capacitor and all the covers, and tried to get the plasma to ignite again. We got the ICP current interlock again. We sent the diagnostic screens to Teledyne Leeman.
At this point, they were pretty sure the problem was with the Oscillator, but they still had me try a few things. We took the covers off again, and sanded down the areas of the covers in the oscillator chamber that had arc damage. We also sanded the lug connection to the capacitor, and checked the water recirculator tubing for blockages. This did not help.
The final step was following the HV Power Supply Troubleshooting Guide that they sent us. This is ordinarily just for their service reps, but they gave it to us to try. It is quite an in-depth troubleshooting guide, and we skipped to section 7, which is the part that involved the RF Oscillator. The procedure was basically designed to isolate different sections of the board/oscillator and determine where the problem was. We disconnected the red high voltage wire from the board, and turned the power back on. We got no interlock messages, which indicated that the problem was located at the RF generator. We then reconnected the wire, and went into the oscillator compartment and disconnected the brass metal strip from the capacitor. We then put the panels back on and turned on the RF power. No interlocks came on, which indicated that the oscillator power tube was causing the problem.
The oscillator tube is not a standard replacement item, and is fairly expensive and must be installed by a service rep.
As of 6/6/17, we are not sure if we will be purchasing a new ICP, or if we will be just replacing the oscillator box on the current ICP.

salinity

The optical refractometer was used, with no issues to report.

SRA

The SRA was not used.

Pipettors

No issues to report with any of the pipettors. The pipettors were packed up, minus three of them, to be shipped back to the US from Subic Bay for calibration/maintenance.

titrations

alkalinity

The alkalinity titrator was used with no issues to report.

Chloride

The chloride titrator was used with no issues to report.

Water system

We installed a new household sediment prefilter trap before the ROPure unit, in a bracket under the countertop. We hope this will reduce wear and tear on the more expensive Barnstead RoPure prefilters, especially before heading into Subic Bay, where the filters seemed to get dirty very quickly.
Near the beginning of the cruise, we had a flooding incident in the lab, where there was a very large quantity (a few shop-vacs full) of water pooled against the starboard side of the lab, running down through the length of the lab. We determined that the waste/bypass lines for the RoPure unit had come loose under the sink, and instead of running to the drain, were just free flowing onto the floor underneath that lab bench. I then re-routed the drain lines into the sink. If the lines get re-plumbed somewhere out of sight, they need a more sturdy fixing mechanism.

TOC

The TOC Analyzer was not used.

PFT GC

The PFT GC was not used.

Geochemists

Stephen A. Bowden Organic GeochemistUniversity of AberdeenUnited Kingdom
Yanping Li Inorganic GeochemistSchool of Geographical and Oceanographical SciencesNanjing UniversityChina
Liyan Tian Inorganic GeochemistInstitute of Deep-sea Science and EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesChina

XRD & ICP SAMPLE PREP LABS

Nicolette Lawler

Summary

Expedition 368 was a continuation of Expedition 367 with hard rock and sediment samples. XRD, ICP, and XRF analyses were used to determine sediment compositions and track unit changes through depth. The ICP failed halfway through the expedition stopping ICP samples but the XRF gun mitigated some of the loss and provided elemental data. The D4 was out of service for several days due to troubleshooting an alleged switch fail and inability to turn on X-Rays but is now fully functional. The handheld XRF was used extensively during the second half of the expedition.

Total samples

• XRD : 219
• ICP : 135
• XRF : 1311

XRD

D4

A sample handler realignment was done on the D4 after showing an error in the middle of a run that 'Sample Ready Switch Faulty'(Figure 1) and to 'Check Relay K13'(Figure 2). Multimeter tests and status flags in D4 Tools indicated that the 'Sample Ready Switch' at the top of the lift was still working. The drives kept failing their initialization procedure after seeing this error so a sample handler realignment was performed and the new configuration file uploaded to the D4. The realignment successfully removed the error and the drives initialized. It appears that the 'theta' drive and the sample swing had slowly been moving over time to the point where the sample cup was not hitting the 'sample ready' switch properly. The sample ready switch is connected to the K13 relay which is why the 'Check Relay K13'message was triggered.
The X-Rays would not turn on showing the message 'Xray generator switched off by OFF-button' due to several cables coming loose in the back panel and on the B20 board inside the generator which disrupted the safety circuit. This probably happened when the D4 was moved off to the side to get access to the right panel or when going in and out of the panels. The message 'Xray generator switched off by OFF-button' is not a specific call out to any error and generally indicates something is going on in a safety circuit.
Updates:
The sample grabber legs were replaced on the sample handler.

HASRIS

The Haskris ran without issue. The water was replaced at the beginning of the expedition and has a flow rate of 7.08.

ICP

The ICP Hard Rock Preparation Manual was updated, placed in the 'Manuals' Folder in IODP_SHARE > XRD, and submitted to David Houpt for review.

tk-4100 Bead-maker

At the beginning of the expedition the beadmaker was fixed. The power modules were replaced but kept blowing because the Bead & Fuse Controller TK-5910 had the 'Crucible Select' Knob set to 'A' which applies a heating coefficient, making the beadmaker too hot. In order for the beadmaker to work the TK-5910 must be plugged into the beadmaker and the 'Crucible Select' knob turned to 'Off'. If the TK-5910 is not plugged to the beadmaker then beadmaker will not heat up at all.
The new beadmaker company is 'AmenaTech'. Tokyo Kagaku dissolved and AmenaTech took over and supports Tokyo Kagaku instruments. I received a parts list from AmenaTech and put it in the 'TK-4100 &TK-5910' Binder. The original 2 IGBT power modules in the beadmaker were a 2MBI200N and 2MBI200F. The type F could not be purchased in Hong Kong on short notice so there are two 2MBI200N. This seems to work with no issue and the only difference seems to be that the 'N' module dissipates heat more efficiently than 'F'. AmenaTech confirmed that it is OK to have two of the same power module in the beadmaker, but that it is always preferable to use the originally designated parts.

ICP Samples & LOI

ICP samples were prepared using the same method that was used on X367. Expedition 367 and 368 beads were made on this expedition due to the beadmaker failure at the beginning of X367.

platinum crucibles

Twelve platinum crucibles were packed up to be shipped off in Subic and be re-cast.

Furnace tray

A tray was made to hold quartz crucibles in the muffle furnace from the brick used by the engineers in the incinerator. The brick has not been tested yet to confirm that it does not contaminate samples as the ICP is not working.
A tray was attempted to be made out of castable ceramic with variable results. This did not work out due to issues removing the ceramic from the plexi-glass mold. It is recommended to use a 'mold release' cream or spray to remove molds but we did not have that. I think this could work if the mold was covered in glad wrap before putting the ceramic in. I recommend using glad wrap, requisitioning castable ceramic with the mold release, or requisitioning a tray capable of getting up to 1050°C.

XRF

The pXRF was used on the latter half of the expedition. 4 dosimeter rings were used and are being hand carried back to College Station.
The pXRF was tested weekly while in use with the LO Geiger Counter and saved to an excel spreadsheet in VOL1 > _IODP OFFICIAL > SAFETY > RECORDS > Handheld XRF. There are also two pictures of the XRF to demonstrate the locations the Geiger Counter measured.
XRF measurements were made on section halves and each measurement was done in triplicate.

xrf mut uploader

There is an outstanding bug in the XRF MUT uploader sheet. When the form is scrolled down and a cell edited, once the cell is clicked on the form is refreshed and takes the screen all the way back up to the top. Then when the cell is scrolled down to again it can be edited. This happens every time a cell is clicked that had to be scrolled down to. I recommend this being looked at during tie-up.

SOFTWARE BACKUP

The MCS' have the software backups for the D4 and XRF gun.

D4

The DATA, DIFFDAT1, and DIFFPLUS folders were backed up on IODP_SHARE under XRD > SOFTWARE BACKUP. There are also floppy disk backups of the software in the lab.

Handheld XRF

Figure 1. Error message indicating the 'Sample Ready Switch Faulty'. The MCS' have the software for the handheld XRF. The software is also on the OLYMPUS Flash Drive.


Figure 2. Error message saying to 'Check Relay 13' due to the faulty switch indication.

THIN SECTION LAB

Susan Bohem

Summary

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60 Thin section requests with a large variety of material: sandstone, clayey/silty sandstone, breccia, dolomite, basalt. One large format thin section and one "thick section" created for the paleontologist to place in the SEM. Primarily used NOA 61 UV curing epoxy, with epotek epoxy used for impregnations, grain mounts, and very porous/absorptive material. No equipment malfunctions. Minor plumbing fixes on LP50 sediment trap. Switched to using internal petro-thin vacuum pump instead of external welch pump.
Received repaired PM5 polisher from Logitech. Old PM2 polisher packed for surface freight back to College Station.

LP-50

Rarely used due to large variety of material and water soluble samples. Plenty of pre-frosted slides from the previous expedition are still left over.
Sediment trap was leaking everywhere the first time I had it running. Took it apart, washed out the trap, and reattached it taking care with the plastic washers around the connectors- I think that's where it was leaking. I want to replace the solid plastic connectors with flexible hosing instead to make removal and cleaning easier.
Black vacuum pump tubing was showing lots of wear and cracks. I replaced the section that goes from the moisture trap to the pump. Velcroed to the wall is a holder for the moisture trap so that it no longer pulls on the hoses causing them to crease and crack. AMS part for black tubing is LS0142 and can be found in the store room behind all the clear plastic tubing. Use a drop of dish soap to help the tube slide securely onto the connector.

Petrothin

Battery replaced in the micrometer at the beginning of the expedition. I used a practice billet to zero the placement of the vacuum chuck arm. Replaced cutting blade and grinder wheel due to the trouble on the previous expedition. Replacing and tightening the blade seemed to resolve the issues as I did not have any problem with the blade. However on the grinding wheel, only about 5 times the whole expedition, I would feel and hear the sample clink against the wheel causing a deep gauge. This seemed to happen when getting the sample very close to 30 microns so I just stopped trying to get that close with the wheel and continued by hand with 600 grit on a glass plate or only using the polisher for water-soluble samples.
Toward the end of the expedition I decided to try out the vacuum pump in the petro thin in order to not have to use the welch pump. I used a length of the same black tubing as on the LP50 to connect the pump to the cutting arm and chuck face. The pump is very quiet and worked really well, maintaining a vacuum of better than -20 Hg the entire time. I recommend using this when possible and keeping the welch pump where it is for impregnations in the glass bulbs. The only consumable I can find regarding the petro thin vacuum pump is the filter and we have 6 spares. They are a durable plastic and can probably even be sonicated and cleaned and reused.

PM5 Polisher

Returned from Logitech and packed up old PM2 polisher to be sent back to College Station. Realigned the WG2 arm height. Only used 2 polishing pads from lab supplies. All functions working properly. The previous glitch where upon finishing a time run the polisher head would spin around at full speed until manually stopped is gone.
The plastic drain tube leading to the sediment trap was not reconnected to the bottom of the PM5, instead I find using a drip tray underneath to be easy and clean and no more glycol leaks under the bench. I just rinse out the drip tray in the sink and flush with plenty of water, our normal method of disposing of glycol.
Samples and methods
I exclusively used NOA 61 to bond billets to slides. I would normally allow at least a few hours (2-3) of curing in the UV box before cutting. I rotate the samples in that time to make sure the UV light hits all sides and angles. Leaving samples in the box overnight does not seem necessary. I continued to use epotek epoxy to impregnate porous samples because I agree that the NOA may not cure inside where the UV light cannot penetrate.
For soft and water soluble samples I did not use the water spray in the petrothin. Instead just by hand used a spray bottle of glycol to keep the blade and sample wet. I would use an entire spray bottle every 2-3 samples. If many samples like this are done in the future I would use a glycol recycling system like that used on Exp 366. My suggestion is not to change the sink plumbing at all. Take the plastic tray out of the sink and attach the drain hose from the petro thin to a Nalgene bottle or an empty glycol jug. I would grind the samples as far as I could with the grinding wheel and then use the polisher after that so the only substances the sample encounters is glycol and ethanol to wash it off.
Since the LP50 wasn't necessary for just one or a few samples at a time it was better to grind down by hand on a glass plate with 600 grit powder. This makes the use of frosted slides unnecessary. If you want to skip this step you can, just be sure to clean the slide thoroughly and check it for evenness, in the same box some slides are better than others. Be sure to write down the slide thickness and adjust the petro thin grinding wheel accordingly because these will be much thicker than the frosted slides.
The Buehler polishing wheel was used occasionally with a diamond grinding disc to flatten very hard samples and grind off marking crayon. To further polish and flatten the billet I used the 240, 400, and finally 600 grit sand paper discs by hand and not on the wheel because for some samples it is better to not use water and this cuts down on dust.

UNDERWAY GEOPHYSICS & FANTAIL REPORT

KEITH DUPRIS

Summary (Underway Geophysics Lab)

Navigation, site fixes, bathymetry and precision depth data were recorded and/or calculated during
ween 136-137^oE.) This may need further invest

ET REPORT

GARRICK VAN RENSBURG & RANDY GJESVOLD

DHML:

• Tested and prepped APCT-3 tool number 1858034. Tool was run on U1501C Cores 05, 08, 11 and 14. Received good data. Tool was also run on U1505C Cores 04, 07, 10 and 13. Received good data.
• APCT-3 Status for Expedition 368.
• 1858002
• 1858007-Cal Due March 2018
• 1858023
• 1858034-Cal Due March 2018

UPS power supplies

• Thermcon UPS power supply interferes with the GFCI outlet that it receives it power from. The outlet needs to be replaced with a non GFCI receptacle.

ET Workshop

• Replaced two faulty fans in the six fan RA4015-6R-DC12 Infracool unit. We now have one LAN and one IP fan unit as spares.
• Inventoried the Vacuum Pumps.
• Designed an Index for the ET Notes. Sorted through all of the notes on the various computers and came up with a set of organized notes for ET documentation accompanied by pictures for the labs and miscellaneous equipment that we work on. Removed as much of the duplicate information as we could find.

core lab

• NGR NAI detector 7 was suspect during Exp 367, it was decided to change out the Channel 7 NAI detector during port call. This required that we disassemble most of the NGR to gain access to it. After the detector was replaced we noticed high readings on Plastic Detectors 51 and 52. The high count was cleared by disconnecting and re connecting the connectors to Plastic Detectors.
• On the WRMSL we cleaned the PWL transducers and added Coupling B Glycerin. The coupling had dried out and were loose. We had to use a dremmel tool with a wire brush head on it to remove the corrosion on the metal coupler itself. It is getting pitted. We also greased the slide bars on the P-Wave logger as part of our preventive maintenance plan.
• Changed out the Ocean Optics Bulb on 4-14-17 and 5-19-17.
• Core description rack had the end come off. One of the bolts is stripped. Made an insert using Epoxy.
• Large Stapler became gummed up. Pulled the jammed staple out and disassembled, cleaned and oiled it. The Large Stapler in the Core Splitting room had a piece break off and was getting gummed up. The stapler was disassembled and the piece was epoxied back on. The Stapler was then cleaned and oiled.
• Laser Engraver air flow sensor ceased to function. This was replaced.

SHIL 2 (Bat track)

• Installed and levelled new support brackets. Filled holes with varnish on the counter top.

Gantry

• The Exlar stopped responding a few times. We cleared the fault by logging out of the MSI software and opening the Tri-tex software. Take note of the current after you connect to the Exlar. You would probably see a "Current limit" indication. We increased the current limit with 2 amp increments until it dislodged and started to respond. At this time you would need to set the current limit back to 3 amps. Log out of the Tri-tex software and restart IMS.

WRMSL

• We have had a few failures on the PWL systems. The PWL would just stop responding, ignoring the open or close commands. We would log out of the IMS software and try to connect with the Tri-tex software, we needed to cycle the power a few times to get the system to communicate. If the Tri-tex software successfully communicate with the Exlar, log out of the Tri-tex software and restart IMS.

SRm notes:

• We had a SRM specialist onboard the JR this port call to do a setup and calibration procedure on the SRM.
• Some "RFI" issues were identified and needed to be addressed. It would seem that RFI interference is causing flux jumps, the RFI was entering the SRM via the actual core being tested and the deqauzer coil cables. When the high voltage cables were removed the RFI noise disappeared. The high voltage cables were twisted around the SRM just before they connected to the SRM. Effectively grounding the braided high voltage cables. This seemed to clear the RFI problem and hopefully the flux jumps.
• The compressor on the SRM began alarming with a "Compressor Error. Low Water Flow" and tripped the power breaker. While investigating this the LN₂ Generator also shut itself down. The Haskeris in the X-Ray Lab began to get warm also. Tried calling the ECR. No Answer. Called the bridge and informed them that we had a Chill Water issue. The 3rd Engineer called back and informed me that one of the Chill Water pumps had failed and that they had just shifted to the other one. Re started the compressor and the system began to chill back down. We had taken more than 30 minutes so the fields had to be re set.
• The Z-degausses coil did not want to lock as indicated by the "tracking" light on the degauser control box. We knew that the X and Y coils were tracking. After disconnecting the power and the amplifier connection from the high voltage box we tested for continuity of the Z coil from the relay through the high voltage cable. The multimeter showed 18.3 Ohms. The X-coil measured 5.1 Ohm. As the Z coil is much larger than the other two we thought it was ok. Reconnecting everything to the high voltage box we connected the multimeter to the current sensor, a BNC connector. As we ramped the X coil up we could see the multimeter reading increase, the same for the Y coil. The Z coil had no reading. Next we moved to the de-gauser control box and measured/displayed the sign wave to the amplifier, all three the axis had a control sine waves. The degauser control box seemed to be working and it was at this point we decided to swop the Z and X high voltage cables at the SRM end, the fault cleared. We decided to swop the Z and X high voltage cables at the high voltage box this time, the fault was still clear. The Z high voltage and the X high voltage cables are swopped at the moment. PS: the fault could still be on the Z connector on the SRM or the Z high voltage cable has a problem.
• Kappa Bridge cube arm began giving alarms, the failures were caused as a result of the arm moving too slow in the up direction, the down movement were fine. You could hear the difference in the motor tone between the up and the down movements. The gears on the up/down motion system were removed and cleaned. We also applied a small amount of Lubri Plate between the brass fittings and the Teflon washers. The up/down motion were now around 3.2 sec instead of the 3.8 seconds that caused the timeout alarms.
• Re built the aft end of the frame to take up a smaller footprint.
• Replaced the Feet on the frame.

jr-6 spinner notes:

• JR-6 Spinner Magnetometer will be addressed. The shaft was cleaned and just a small amount of lubrication added to the slide bar screw.
• The bottom motor screw assembly was taken apart and cleaned, it would sometimes be noisy when the shaft is pushed up and down. We did not add any lubrication.

paleo lab notes:

• The SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) had a small wire bundle with two connectors fall out of it. It appears the slide tray was hitting it and worked it loose. After a close inspection we found out where it belonged. The cable was re installed and rerouted slightly so it was not hanging down where it could get snagged and pulled off again.
• One of the Standard Testing Sieves had a small break in the screen where it attaches to the metal ring. Added a small portion of Silicone RTV to re attach it.

core splitting room:

• Cleaned the slide bars on the Super Saw and added a small amount of Kopr Kote to it.
• Manufactured and attached a water diverter to the Super Saw to keep it from soaking down the technician running the saw while cutting hard rock.

LN₂ Gen notes:

• The LN₂ Gen shut itself down midway through a recharge cycle due to low Chill Water.
• A week after the chill water failure the LN₂ dropped below the automatic start level, but the LN₂ Gen failed to start. If you remove the bottom panel on the right side of the box ( if you face the LN₂ Gen ) you could get to a temperature reset button. Pushing the reset button cleared the protection mode and the LN₂ Gen started running.
• Other than this it ran without any problems.

-86 freezer on f deck:

• Cleaned out the door seals and de frosted the door seals. Removed the Air Filter and pressure washed it.

chem lab:

• The 728 Stirrer became very noisy. It was disassembled and a drop of oil added to the top bearing. It runs quietly now.
• The Cahn Microbalance door handle fell off. This was re attached using 5-min Epoxy.
• Replaced the center hydraulic jack and topped the oil on all thee Carver Press systems.
• The center Carver Press became air bound. Removed the clear return line and vented the air and hydraulic fluid out of the hydraulic cylinder. Added the fluid to the reservoir of the pump. Problem returned about 24 hours later. Changed out the hydraulic jack with one from spares. During troubleshooting on the hydraulic jack that had been removed we found that the pump chamber check valve was not working correctly. The ball bearing in the check valve was changed out.

thin section lab:

• Replaced one of the vacuum lines. It had dry rotted and cracked.
• The Shatter Rock timer switch worked its way out again. Disassembled the top of the lid, removed the electronics boards and re installed the switch. The legs were bent out just slightly for a better fit. It was recommended to the X-Ray tech to order a replacement circuit board.

X-Ray Lab:

• The Bead Maker ceased to function after it was repaired by the ETs on crossover day. We could visually see that the 630V capacitors were damaged, so we suspected some damage to other components. It was during this first investigation that we noticed the IGBT drivers were 50Amp modules and we needed 100A modules, we organized an expedition to the local electronics store in Hong Kong to source spare power IGBT modules. P/N 2MBI100N-060 and several other small power components, including replacement capacitors.
• We replaced the 2MBI50N-060 IGBTs with IGBT 2MBI100N-060 modules, we also replaced the 630V capacitors, the P102W SCR Rectifier, two VLA517-01R IGBT gate drivers, a 20V voltage regulator and a bridge rectifier.
• I would suggest that we source a new "Amena TD-01" board. The soldering points are very weak and easily damaged, we would not be able to keep repairing it.

TESTING the Beadmaker:

1. After replacing the parts and waiting for the X-ray tech to get onto shift it was time to test.
2. For the test we connected a multimeter to the output of the bridge rectifier to measure a DC voltage.
3. First we ran the unit in "manual mode", we could immediately see a correlation between the DC voltage displayed and the temperature displayed on the "Monitor" window. 700 Celsius would be 70 Vdc, 1050 Celsius would be 118 Vdc.
4. All three timers counted down to zero and would switch to the next timer when you pushed the start button.
5. When timer three was active we could see the arm moving and spinning.
6. We now decided to test the automatic mode.
7. We pushed the start button with the controller connected.
8. The unit did not behave as expected but the most noticeable was that the voltage doubled. 1050 Celsius would now show 228 Vdc instead of 118 Vdc.
9. The test was immediately aborted and the X-ray tech requested that all further testing would be halted and that the unit would be run in manual mode.
10. The X-ray tech indicated that she would correspond with the new service company on what steps to take next.
11. We requested that a quick start guide is put together for the bead maker, we could have had the system running sooner if we had some indication of what the control settings should have been and the automatic controller should be connected even in manual mode operation.

Conference Room:

• Could not establish communications with the remote microphone. Established communication with the remote mike and the receiver. Reset amp front panel to BD/DVD and turned the volume up until it linked up and you could hear the mikes.

upper tween stores:

• Roto-Zipped out several cracks. Added varnish to pull everything together and then covered that with Red Hand. The floor was repainted.
• Defrosted both -80 Freezers. Removed the Air Filters and power washed them.

Hold Reefer:

• Removed the O2 Sensor. It is no longer functional.
• Assisted building shelves for the D-Tubes.

gym notes:

• Added air to the Speed Bag.
• Replaced the display card and cleaned the large Treadmill. Changed the decline settings to a min of 0.

movie room:

• Cleaned the UPS. TV system was tested.

underway:

• No assistance required this expedition.

fantail:

• The Gun line winch (Starboard) was cleaned, greased and exercised.
• The Fantail Crane was cleaned, greased and exercised.
• The Levelwind (Port) was cleaned and greased. The Slide Bars were cleaned and Dry Slide applied. The Levelwind was then exercised.
• Assisted in the preparation and running the seismic air gun cluster. Cleaned and re stowed at the end of the expedition.

misc:

• Cleaned the filters in all of the vacuum units.
• Three of the Hotplates had issues maintaining heat at a set level. Checked the wiring and took some Emory Cloth to the contacts on the heat setting dial. The Hotplates are showing a lot of corrosion on the internal components.

CURATORIAL REPORT

BRITTANY MARTINEZ

EXPEDITION SUMMARY

Samples

A total of 4,414 samples were taken for Expedition 368. This includes 3,455 shipboard samples and 959 personal samples. 1,601 meters of core material was recovered during the expedition with 79% total recovery.
Only shipboard samples and ephemeral samples were taken onboard. All personal sampling is deferred to the post-cruise sampling party at the Gulf Coast Repository (GCR) in September.

Shipments

246 core boxes will be shipped from Subic to the GCR in College Station, Texas. The core boxes were divided into Archive and Working pallets. Each core box is labeled by the box number followed by an 'A' (Archive) or 'W' (Working) to denote the section halves in the box. All cores were boxed in order, however, please refer to the Core Box Inventory sheets emailed with this report. The pallet inventory will be sent to GCR by the oncoming JRSO crew.
All sediment and some lithified sections were wrapped in Glad Clingwrap. Sections curated as "hard rock" were wrapped in 4 mm thick shrink film.
Stephen Bowden, Yifeng Chen, and Yanping Li will be hand carrying samples following the expedition. A hand-carry letter was given to them for any customs issues

Site Conversion

The conversion between pre-site to site identifiers are listed below:

CORE FLOW AND SAMPLING

Catwalk Sampling

The Expedition 368 Catwalk Sampling Strategy is shown in Figure 1. The following samples were routinely taken:

• Head Space (HS) – 1 per core, 5 cc brass syringe
• Interstitial Water (IW) – (2) 5 cm WRNDs per core from 0 m to 100 m. (1) 10 cm WRND per core from 100 m to TD.
• Mudline – All mudlines were collected in mudline bucket
• Paleontology (PAL) – (1) 5 cm WRND per core

Figure 6: Catwalk Sampling Strategy for Expedition 368

SHIPBOARD SAMPLING

Shipboard Sample Plan

The Expedition 368 shipboard sample plan is shown in Figure 2. Adjustments were made depending on core recovery and flow.
Figure 7: Expedition 368 Shipboard Sample Plan

Residues

The residue distribution is as follows:

• Smear slides and thin sections will be sent to the GCR during the 368P/368T port call.
• The geochemists included the types and volumes of residues they would be requesting in order to guide their post-cruise sample requests. Geochemistry residues were then divided as the samples were processed.
• All residues requested and approved by the Sample Allocation Committee (SAC) were reassigned to each scientist's request code and number.

Smear Slides

• 399 smear slides were prepared and described by the shipboard sedimentologists. All smear slides will be shipped to the GCR. A smear slide inventory will be sent electronically to the GCR.

Thin Sections

• A total of 61 thin sections were made during the expedition. They will be shipped back to the GCR with the other residues. A thin section inventory will be sent electronically to the GCR.

Personal Sampling

• Below is a list of the samples requests that were approved by the Expedition 367/368 SAC and their respective Sample Request Codes:

  Investigator	Sample Request Number	Sample Request Code
  Stephen Bowden	46247IODP	BOWD
  Yifeng Chen	46437IODP	CHEN
  Yanping Li	46321IODP	LI_YANPING

  PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

• 155 cm Sections: 10 core sections (U1501A-1H and U1501B-1H) were curated 155 cm long when the incorrect ruler was used to measure the sections on the catwalk. The D-tubes cannot accommodate sections this long, so the end caps had to be put onto the sections and then taped shut.
• 368-U1501C-8H-4-W: This section was split incorrectly causing one half of the section to be significantly bigger than the other half. Due to this, the working half section could not fit into the D-Tube. In order to fit the section into its D-tube, the excess sediment was shaved off and the core line cut down.
• Core Expansion: Curated lengths were updated in Sample Master for sections that expanded more than 2 cm
• Crushed and Shattered Liner: Some of the core liners were crushed or shattered when they were received on the catwalk. We accommodated for this by acetone-ing liner patch to reinforce the sections.

ACTION ITEMS

• Rock Pieces Curated Upside Down: It was brought to my attention by the paleomagnetists that rock pieces were being labeled and placed into the core liner upside down. In this specific case, the pieces were relabeled and the piece oriented correctly. While hard-rock shrink wrapping sections, I personally found a couple of pieces that were not oriented correctly. These were relabeled and oriented according to the 360 whole round image and the marks on the bottom of the pieces. The JRSO Curator was notified, as well as the LO. I would recommend checking each hard rock piece for orientation before sub sampling.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Education Core: At the request of Sharon Cooper a mudline core was recovered. U1505B-1H was curated and ran through the whole-round tracks. This core was left un-split and donated to the JR for the 2017 School of Rock that will take place on board the ship (52276IODP).
• Lithified Sediment Cores with Poor Recovery: Lithified sediment cores with very poor core recovery were "binned" out in order to keep the material in place. Piece numbers were not assigned to the bins.

PUBLICATIONS REPORT

JEAN WULFSON

Summary

My duties included collection of publication materials from the scientists and generating the visual core descriptions (VCDs). I generated VCDs for five sites and 11 holes, core recovery figures for each hole/site, hole summary figures, and figures for the Methods chapter. I communicated regularly with the Publication Specialist from expedition 367 as our two expeditions will be combined into one cohesive volume.
I distributed/collected passports, visas, and crew declaration forms from the scientists and technicians for port call activities. In addition, worked closely with the Radio Operator to provide the necessary paperwork to ensure the science party and technicians would clear immigration. I also kept track of seagoing personnel using the check in/check out spreadsheet for port call.
Other expedition related administrative/publication duties.
When I had free time, I assisted on the catwalk, formatted publication figures, wrote an excel macro to add line returns to DESC data, and documented/updated procedures.

Equipment & Software Performance Summary

Software used: Strater 5, Acrobat, Illustrator CS6, Excel, Word, Groupwise, FontCreator. There was one issue with Adobe Acrobat Distiller, but that was resolved during the cruise. Otherwise, I experienced no problems with the software or PC and Mac computers.

Database, entries, and data upload or downloaD

L2E was used to export depth, section, core scale, title, core images, samples, track data, and core composites photos. I experienced one problem with the performance of the L2E software.

1. During core image scanning of U1505C and U1505D, multiple duplicate "True" images of the core appeared in the database and was downloaded using L2E. I reported the issue to James Z., Lisa C., and Bill Mills. It is my understanding that this problem has been attributed to MUT and that it has been corrected.

DESC export was used for all core descriptive data. I experienced two problems with the use of DESC:

1. When scientists enter summary descriptions for hard rock (DESC macroscopic template, Section_unit_sum tab, Unit summary column), they use hard returns to format the text as they like them to appear. Unfortunately, DESC strips out the line returns when the information is uploaded. Alyssa and I had to write and run a macro in order to plot this information in the VCDs in the format desired by the scientists. Aaron de Loach ultimately wrote a macro version that was capable of being transported to shore.
2. It is my understanding that a previous problem with DESC (involving incomplete data downloads by hole due to a mismatch between the depth of the hole versus core length) was resolved. BUT, I encountered a problem with the CC not downloading when I download by hole in U1501A and U1501B. The CC in these holes was beyond the bottom depth of the hole as it was entered in DESC. All other holes downloaded data properly by hole, so I don't know if it was an isolated incidence.

LORE was used for downloading core summary, and section summary data for plotting in Strater and for double checking problem areas in plots. I encountered several problems with LORE:

1. Using the core summary table to plot core recovery: Any time there is "no recovery", the depths MUST be recalculated because the default appears to be 100% recovery (bottom depth recovered = bottom depth drilled). This procedure was not routinely done and it will result in inaccurate plotting of the core recovery.
2. Using the core summary table to plot core recovery, the "Bottom depth recovered (m)" data column reflects the curated length, not the actual catwalk recovered depth. If sediment cores expand or if hard rock pieces are binned AND the length of the core changes from the catwalk length, then plotting this data as it appears in the core summary table results in an inaccurate plot in core recovery plots. I had to formulate the correct bottom depth recovered by using "Top depth drilled DSF (m)" + "Recovered length (m)" = the actual bottom depth recovered.
3. If sediment cores expand or if hard rock pieces are binned AND the length of the core changes from the catwalk length, then the depths MUST be recalculated. This procedure was not routinely done and it will result in inaccurate plotting of data in the VCDs and core recovery.
4. Otherwise, the database worked fine.

LIVE – no problems with the use of this program.
Virtual Photo Table – no problems with the use of this program.

Volume Materials

Chapters were collected as they were finished and I kept track of all material using the tracking logs for text, tables, and figures.
I updated the VCDs daily and provided the scientists with a PDF with comments indicating areas of concern. When we received hard rock core intermingled with layers of sediment, I produced two separate VCD files daily – one for sediment and one for hard rock. For Site U1504, a metamorphic VCD template was developed to better accommodate the metamorphic material descriptions.

General Duties Performed

• Exported data using L2E, DESClogik, and Lims Reports; reviewed data for accuracy; plotted data using Strater software version 5; produced PDFs of the VCDs, recovery plots, and hole summaries; and distributed PDFs to the scientists for review.
• Wrote excel macros as needed to facilitate data plotting.
• Worked with the scientists to ensure accurate data display in the VCDs. Corrected/modified VCDs, Strater schemes, templates, and Methods legend figure as needed.
• Collected, organized, and tracked all publication volume materials including text, figures, and tables in hard copy and electronic files.
• Assisted scientists with figure creation and in the use of the Adobe Illustrator software.
• Attended science cross-over meetings as needed.
• Provided administrative support to scientists and technical staff as needed, including providing supplies and assisting with travel arrangements.
• Distributed and collected necessary expedition paperwork - IODP communication policy, photo image release, manuscript and copyright forms, cabin repairs, personal safety equipment, shipboard network access, and science party addresses.
• Worked closely with the Radio Operator to ensure the science party and technical staff had appropriate documents for departure from Hong Kong and arrival in Shanghai.
• Kept track of seagoing personnel using the check in/check out spreadsheet for port call.
• Planned and executed the T-shirt logo contest and assisted with the Hump Day party.
• Arranged birthday celebrations for 6 scientists and technicians.
• Communicated with shore staff regularly to provide updates.
• Restocked Publication supply cabinet as needed, and provide science party with supplies per request.

Suggestions

1. Core summary table and plotting core recovery figures: Currently, the default bottom depth recovered equals the bottom depth drilled. It appears that when any length of core >0 is recovered and entered into the database, the bottom depth recovered automatically adjusts correctly. But when there is NO recovery, the bottom depth recovered remains equal to the bottom depth drilled resulting in the appearance of 100% recovery when plotted. This can be corrected by recalculating the depths, but this does not always happen and it has resulted in work having to be redone and time lost. It would be helpful if the default bottom depth recovered could be equal to the top depth drilled so that if there were no recovery, then an accurate bottom depth recovered (and recovery %) would appear without the need to recalculate depths.

1. Core summary table and plotting core recovery figures: It would be helpful if an additional column was added for the actual bottom depth recovered data (based on catwalk length) in the core summary table. This would eliminate the need for the Pubs Specialist to manipulate data in order to plot core recovery in situations where the core expanded or where the core was binned.

1. DESClogik: It would be helpful if the text description cells for HARD ROCK descriptions could retain the line returns that the scientists enter. These descriptions need to appear in the VCDs in a particular format including the line returns. A macro to put them back in had to be written and it had to be run with every data download containing hard rock material.

DEVELOPER'S REPORT

ALGIE MORGAN, JAMES ZHAO and WILLIAM MILLS

Overview

This document highlights changes to the JOIDES Resolution laboratory data management environment during Expedition 368.
Selected issues are highlighted, but not reviewed in exhaustive detail. In general, see the ship activity log and product pages on the developer site for additional detail:
http://build.iodp.tamu.edu:8090/display/DEV/Developer+Home+Page https://sites.google.com/a/scientific-ocean-drilling.org/developer-page
Note that the latter site is being retired. Corporate knowledge is preferentially being captured to the first site, and gradually being migrated from the latter.

WORK IN PROGRESS

During 368 the developers participated in

• Routine expedition support
• LIVE deployment; enhancements and bug fixes as reported by the staff
• Thumbnail image automation support.
• Coulometer application replacement, including development of LDAQ modular framework for incorporating modules written in different languages.
• Planning and testing toward Win10 upgrades.
• Maintenance. Routine break/fix as people, process, and tools gradually change.

CHange Summary

Applications, services, instrument software.

Outstanding Issues

Outstanding items here are tracked by development in a system called Trello. Items that have not changed are not listed.

SampleMaster

(Carried forward from previous report)

• Revised default "fill-down" state on the Core Entry screen so that the normally hidden Catwalk Length field is not carried down silently and unexpectedly from the record above it.
• Distribution failure specific to 32-bit Windows workstations. Looking for Microsoft.Ink.dll 6.1. Even though available on these station (WRMSL, STMSL, ICP Analyzer), is not found from GAC. Re-built to distribute with Microsoft.Ink.dll in the ClickOnce distribution set.

CAHN

(Carried forward from previous report)

• Seen once. Saving content to LIMS was throwing database errors. Work-around. Change the "objective" selection. Re-select CHNS. Ok after that.
• CAHN is high on chemistry staff's priority list for replacement, repair. Operation errors here trickle down to affect CHNS and Coulometer.
  • The work flow of assigning a mass (not the TARE!) to an objective is so non-intuitive, it is the source of frequent operator error and support repairs by technical staff.
  • Start-up of the CAHN is non-intuitive. It is displays half a dozen dialogs at startup that should not be presented. Muchless offer the opportunity to be filled out incorrectly.
  • The way in which CHNS.mass values are cataloged and processed leads to entries that never get removed from the Worklist Generator in spite of completion of the full process. Revise CAHN to catalog CHNS.chns_mass. Or revise MUT uploader to cancel CHNS.mass and replace it with the CHNS.chns_mass actually defined in the component table.
  • Minimize the "objective" list to only those actually used. CAHN supports CHNS and Coulometer workflows.
  • CAHN carries multiple configuration files. Preferrable that these be organized into a single file and managed for multiple usage contexts.

Stratigraphic Correlation - Scors aFFINE/SPLICE uPLOADER

• Not used on 368.

MegaUploadaTron (mut)

Changed:

• Deployed version 15.2.0.9: this was a version prepared on previous expedition but not deployed; fixes various small bugs
• 15.2.0.10: added function to LSIMG to perform automatic thumbnailing for LIVE.
• 15.2.0.11: modified orientation upload to include tool-id in the instrument field
• 15.2.0.12: fixed CHNS analysis so hydrogen and Sulphur elements are uploaded to the proper components; formerly these two values were switched.

Moisture and density (MAD)

(Carried forward from previous report)

• Procedural errors lead to need to change containers. While occurrence is infrequent, each incident requires development support. The multiple tools for managing container change are not effective for participants and technical staff to complete the repair without additional assistance.
  • SampleMaster effectively allows the change of the sample name (conventionally the container).
  • MADMax effectively supports switching the container—but does not correct existing masses and volumes based on the revised container.
  • SQLDeveloper can do both, but lacks automation, and is accordingly and error-prone.

Noted with respect to instrument host replacement. This system requires a "full" NI-PCI-6224 multi-function DAQ. A USB-based substitution is available: USB-6343 (48 DIO lines, 32 AI).

Velocity

(Formerly Gantry)
(Carried forward from previous report)

• Seen twice. Communications to distance ranging laser failed. Repair: Shutdown control software. Power down the laser. Power down the serial adapter / laser junction box. Turn it all back on. Restart the software.
• Seen once. Failed to see Z-bayonet. Corrected by system power down and restart. Message indicated serial device was non-existent. Can happen if USB device is unplugged or powered down while the system is technically on and in-use. 
• System was restarted with a section half in caliper. In spite of all warnings. Caliper homed into the mud and stopped responding to commands. Manually forced the calipers apart sufficient to open the physical limit switch. Then was able to control the Exlar again normally.

NGR

• During port call in Hong Kong NGR was dismantled by TAS supervisor and ET's. Detector #7 was replaced. After reassembling TAS supervisor tested and certified all detectors were operating within acceptable range

Laser engraver

(Carried forward from previous report)

• Seen twice. Gave error 9679. Red lights in the control junction box indicate obstruction of the air flow sensor. Solution: Gently sweep the flow sensor to clean it. Reset the laser control box.

LIVE

• The following modifications and bug fixes were made during Exp. 368
  • SEM, Change component in PanelDefinition, from tiff_asman_id to image_asman_id.
  • 360, add four new components for LIVE to display.

quadrant_jpg-trim_0_asman_idquadrant_jpg-trim_90_asman_idquadrant_jpg-trim_180_asman_idquadrant_jpg-trim_270_asman_id

• • If one analysis display many times in Panel Header, now display only one.
  • Make sure lithology name always show up on screen if lithology depth on screen. Before lithology name displayed in the middle of depth, but it may be out of screen.
  • Make the panel data range selection sticky once user clicks "View Data" many times.
  • Fixed the bug that recovery core name is not displayed in the middle of depth range.
  • Added a feature that always display an extra depth at the bottom at the selected sample.
  • Use the max depth of advancement and recovery as LIVE depth range so that LIVE can display all the content if recovery is over 100%.

LORE

• Revised.
  • Extended WRLS report to include cropped images, this modification was made to accommodate display of WRLS images in LIVE.
  • Imaging section menu modified to organize selections more logically, modified nomenclature to make selection clearer to end-users.

IMS

SHIL

The SHIL is now using IMS 10.0, approved by the shipboard change control protocols. See Updates to IMS 10, below.
These modifications have been applied to SHILa but not SHILb.

SHMSL

• No changes were made to IMS 9.2 other than resetting the instrument's position and other setup refinements.
• Although not in use during this expedition, the SHMSL has been updated to IMS 10.0. See IMS 10.0 Update below.

SRM

• Changed the SQUID to initialize all settings prior to the first drift measurement on each section rather than during the initial start-up. Just in case someone was pushing buttons on the meters. Unfortunately, in making this change, the pulse-reset command was deleted and this resulted in the meters not zeroing prior to the drift. Fortunately the value of the meter prior to the measurement was saved we were able to salvage the data.
• Scientist began to use the untested method of offline treatment. Even though they were informed, that it not officially supported. Again a bug in the software cause the entire drift#1 measurement to be skipped but unfortunately in this case we were not able to safe the data for ~30 discrete samples.
• Both of the above issue are now resolved.
• Updated the M-Drive motion profile to include values for the degauss and drift movements.
• Fixed the name of one data column in the auxiliary data files.

WRMSL/STMSL

WRMSL

• No changes were made to the code. This system is running on IMS 9.2 as the exlar control used by the PWL code is not supported in IMS 10.0

STMSL

• Running on IMS 10.0 using the new hardware control on the PWAVE Instrument plug-in (don't want to confuse the PWL code running on 9.2). See Updates to IMS 10, below.

UPDATES TO IMS

In preparation for the upcoming change to Win10 and instrument host, a number of critical changes have been made to IMS. The primary goal is to insure that both svn management of the code and the initial configuration are robust and error free. Efficiencies in the DAQ Engine design have been implemented. In addition, a number of outstanding issues were resolved and a global cosmetic cleanup of the UIs completed. The IMS version is now 10.0 to reflect these changes.

SVN Management:

The checkout, update and commit process with IMS 9.2 was cumbersome and error prone. To improve the svn management experience, I have implemented the following changes:

1. IMS_Common that resided in LabView…../user.lib is now under C:/IMS10. We are using a folder names IMS10 instead of IMS as this allows us to test the updates without affect the IMS9.2 installation.
2. Each DAQ engine has its own pre-defined list of instruments that it is allowed to connect with. It is no longer possible to connect with non-supported instruments and this means that it is no longer necessary to hide the instrument plug-in code in subfolders. Instruments not on the list are ignored and missing instruments do not trigger an error.
3. Compiled code is separated from the LabVIEW source code.
4. SVN is set to ignore all configuration folders and the Error folder.

These changes allow the user to check-out, update and commit the code from svn and run the program without altering the folder structure first.

IMS VERSION CONTROL and CODE CLEAN UP TOOLS

Version control is no longer managed by setting values in the default data VIs of each plug-in and the IMS Main. IMS version values are now managed within the VI Libraries using the major and minor revision values. The version number of the IMS Main.lvlib is queried and the IMS Framework data structure is updated. As each plugin is loaded, its library version number is queried and compared to the value in the IMS Framework data structure. Any mismatched will prevent that module from loading.
A LabView scripting tool was developed that can be used for the following:

• Version number updates;
• Set "Auto Error Handling" = False;
• Set "Contains Compiled Code" = False;
• Set "Allow Debugging" = False;

It also mass compiles each folder once the above changes have been made.. The script will recursively drill down into subfolder and expects each folder to have 1 library and its associated LabVIEW VIs and CTL files. XControls and Polymorphic VIs are ignored.
The IMS Code Cleanup Tool.vi can be found here: C:\IMS-10\RESOURCES\IMS Tools.lvlib

Configuration Files:

The track's name (instrument_group value from the DAQ_Engine code) prefixes the configuration folder as trackname_CONFIG. This allows each track to maintain separate configurations for motion control and for instruments that are used on multiple tracks.
Motion control configuration, is now managed by the DAQ_Engine and not the Motion plug_in code. This allows each track system to have a unique set of fixed settings to prevent accidently loading the wrong parameters and possibly damaging the hardware (and technicians). These fixed setting will override any manual editing of the ini file. Safety first!
The REVERT and CURRENT configuration sub-folders are gone. The ini files are saved directly under the "trackname_CONFIG" folder. A timestamp is added to the previous ini filename and then it is moved to a folder marked with X_CONFIG folder. The contents are of this folder managed by the INI File Write.vi and will not to exceed 100 files. When this value is exceeded the oldest 30 files will be deleted.
IMS Main.vi has a small ini file that points to the path of the PLUGIN folder and the filename of the DAQ Engine plug-in file. This file is kept in a folder IMS_CONFIG. This change is for a future implementation that will allows IMS to be located on a server.

Initial Setup PROCESS-FLOW:

This process saw major changes to make the process more efficient, more informative, and less fragile. Below is the new process flow.
On an initial install (or if the IMS.ini file is missing):

1. Dialog box opens and the user is prompted to select the top level IMS folder (ie. C:\IMS10);
2. User clicks the Verify button and IMS searches and then displays all DAQ Engine plug-ins in a list box;
3. From the list, the user selects the DAQ_Engine to use for a particular track installation.
4. The above steps are skipped of the IMS.ini already exists but the above process can be launched from the File menu at any time.
5. DAQ_Engine plug-in is loaded;
6. Motion plug-in is loaded;
7. DAQ_engine sets all of the fixed configuration values for that track;
8. On a first time initialization (or if the ini file is missing), the user is asked if they wish to use the Parameter Setup to edit the defaults or just accept the default values. Provided there has been no hardware changes, accepting the default values will bring the track up in a fully operational state;
9. Instrument Plug-ins are loaded based on the list provided by the DAQ_Engine. For each instrument in parallel the following is executed:
   1. On a first time initialization (or if the ini file is missing), the user is asked if they wish to use the Parameter Setup to edit the defaults or just accept the default values. Like motion control, provided there has been no hardware changes, accepting the default values will bring each instrument up in a fully operational state. Basic calibrations will still need to be performed.
   2. If the instrument can be used on multiple tracks or in different configurations, the user is prompted to make a selection. For example the MS can be used as the loop sensor on the WRMSL and STMSL, or a point sensor on the SHMSL. Selecting one of the three choice will set the instrument group and analysis name accordingly. For GRA and PWL, only the analysis name is changed to match the track selection (WRMSL or STMSL).

On the initial startup after an SVN Check-Out or major Update, it can take a minute or so to complete because the LabVIEW Object cache must be rebuilt. Subsequent startups will take 30 sec or less before the track is ready for measurement.
The initialization workflow and display has been revised for better error reporting and recovery control. The randomly placed status windows have been reduced and organize.

Error Messages:

The IMS error messages table has finally been completed (752 unique error codes). The table is now stored Oracle and accessible by a web service call (thanks John and James). This eliminates the need for the LabVIEW Microsoft reporting tool and eliminates the issues caused when Excel is open and IMS is started. The error table is updated when IMS launches and a backup csv text file is created. Should the web service fail, IMS will use the backup table.

DAQ Engine changes:

In addition to the changes described above the following where made to improve execution speed.

• The maximum number of instrument managed by the DAQ engine is limited to 5. This is two more than actually use so there is still room to evolve a track.
• Execution of data acquisition steps are done on parallel threads instead of serially using a For loop. Depending on the tracks, this is about a 1 to 2 seconds shorter per measurement position.
• Improved error handling workflow -> less chance of error lock up.

Known issues fixed:

WRMSL (STMSL):

Issue: The situations where less that all instruments were placed on line (one or more set off-line), would cause unexpected behavior such as not saving the data file, not honoring edge offset, etc.
Cause: The PI index was used to index the array of active instruments. Example: the pi index for GRA, MS and PWL is 0, 1, and 2. The GRA is set off-line so the array of active instruments is 0(MS) and 1(PWL). Using the PI-index value would either index the wrong instrument or cause an out-of-bounds situation which would just return the default values.
Solution: Use the For index control to select the active instrument array element.
Issue: The "pushing" section would engage the previous section to hard. If the previous section was small (lightweight) it would be knocked down the track.
Solution: Added code to the Action Array builder so that on the initial push it would gently engage the previous section before moving at full speed.

PWAVE (New PWL):

Issue: The Calibration window was poorly laid out and confusing in regard to the order of the calibration steps.
Solution: Re-worked the interface so that it each step is clearly enumerated with instructions.

JAI Camera

Issue: The default crop box generated when the Crop.vi open was always incorrect.
Solution: Re-coded the calculation and added adjustments for the actual physical location of the core liner in the image space.
Issue: RGB data zero offset not tied to the actual crop box and resulted in a data offset.
Solution: The zero offset is now tied to the top of the crop box rather than calculate from the encoder position. Accuracy is the user's responsibility. The offset correction factor in the setup window has been deleted.
Issue: Undetectable line drops.
Problem: While testing the crop box issue, we noticed that as the scanning speeds approached the line rate limit (displayed in the JAI Camera Setup window) the image got shorter than the section length (in pixels) without triggering the line drop alert. Careful investigation showed that each grab was complete but lines where dropped in between grabs.
Solution: Stay 1 cm/s below the line rate limit eliminates this issue.
Issue: RGB Graph no aligned or scaled to image:
Solution: Fixing the above issues plus a little graph adjustment on the UI now has the two object aligned and scaled correctly.
Issue: The quadrant angle was not updating correctly between scans.
Solution: It was an index + 1 issue.

SHIL

• Cropped jpg image now provided for the LIVE report. Basically SHLF and 360 images has identical work flow in the CROP.vi
• The top index of the crop box for the zero quadrant is used as the default value for all subsequent quadrant images. User may change the top crop position but are discouraged, as this will cause staggered presentation of the side-by-side quadrant images in LIVE.

Other CHANGES

Cosmetic changes: Across all tracks the UI window's controls, indicators and text where updated to a common style and presentation.
Because of the scope of changes the IMS version number is updated to 10.0 and IMS will be renamed as Skynet (jk).

CURRENT DEPLOYMENT PLAN

IMS 10.0 is currently use on the SHIL only (approved per shipboard change management policy). The science party used this version for the last month. Other than issues with the display flag (on going from 9.2), there have been no issues to report.
Test versions are deployed on both the SHMSL and the STMSL. During the coring breaks, both versions have were heavily tested and are ready for another round of KTT testing.
WRMSL is still on IMS 9.2 and will stay on that version until the decision is made regarding the new PWL hardware. Support for the new PWL is only available in IMS 10.
SRM is still on 9.2 and will be upgraded to 10 after completion of the Shanghai testing. The SRM upgrades will be primarily cosmetic as many of the version 10 features have already been implemented such as having the SRM DAQ engine manage the motion control configuration. Another way to view IMS 10 is that we are bringing the other tracks up to the same level of performance as the current SRM code.
If testing is successful then for expedition 371 the IMS deployment will be:

• SRM: 9.2 (maybe 10)
• WRMSL: 9.2
• STMSL: 10.0 (note, STMSL will be the primary whole round track for the expedition, but the instrument_group will be set to "WRMSL" per David Houpt)
• SHIL: 10.0
• SHMSL: 10.0

Worklist Generator

(Carried forward from previous report)

• Bug. Processing CHNS samples via MUT is not causing them to disappear off this list. Not technically a bug in Worklist Generator, but it is a fault in the CHNS data processing chain from CAHN to Worklist Generator to Eager Software to MUT. A component of CHNS is left as incomplete, therefore the whole observation is flagged as incomplete and remains on the worklist. Repair still in development.

Development Tooling and Infrastructure changes

SQL Developer

• Updated to v4.2.0.16.356 on BuildJR, development desktop, and virtuals.

Visual Studio 2015

• BuildJR DOES NOT SUPPORT VISUAL STUDIO 2015. Nor does Visual Studio 2010 reinstall. Effect builds on your laptop development environments.

.

Build JR

• BuildJR is NO LONGER EXEMPTED FROM internet blackouts surrounding video conferences. This does at time add extra challenge access primary code repositories. Yes. Video conferences are given that much priority.
• BuildJR proposed. Replace or retire BuildJR. Numerous packages refuse to install on the current environment: iPrint, OES client, VS2015, VS2010, 64-bit versions of FireFox, current PowerShell
• Retire. Proposes moving Subversion and Nexus services to dedicated SUSE Linux virtuals. Move other activities accomplished on the build box to laptop virtuals or the development desktop.
• Replace. Set in motion upgrade of OS and services to Windows 2012.

Updated

• JDK 8u121
• SQLDeveloper 4.2.0
• Notepad++ 7.3.3 (64-bit)
• WinSCP 5.9.4
• FireFox 52.0.2
• Fiddler 4.6.20171.9220
• NAC Assessment Agent 1.16.14.0

Development Desktop

Updated

• Windows 10 build 10240
• McAfee 8.8.0.1559
• JDK 8u121
• SQLDeveloper 4.2.0
• Notepad++ 7.3.3 (64-bit)
• WinSCP 5.9.4
• Fiddler 4.6.20171.9220
• ImageMagick 7.0.5
• NAC Assessment Agent 1.16.14.0
• VirtualBox 5.1.14
• Enthought Python (used by PmagPy environment)
• MATLAB 2014
• ImageMagick 7.0.4

BuildJR proposed. Replace or retire BuildJR. Numerous packages refuse to install on the current environment: iPrint, OES client, VS2015, VS2010, 64-bit versions of FireFox, current PowerShell

• Retire. Proposes moving Subversion and Nexus services to dedicated SUSE Linux virtuals. Move other activities accomplished on the build box to laptop virtuals or the development desktop.
• Replace. Set in motion upgrade of OS and services to Windows 2012.
• Updated to Windows 10.

Nota bene. A single Win 10 workstation using a product like WinSCP without bandwidth limiting will scavenge all available bandwidth, to the point of causing even phone conversations to be disconnected. Also indicates QoS configuration issues somewhere in our provider chain.
For a Win 10 laptop to have internet connectivity, the current recommendation is to have a network limiter tool in place (NetLimiter). Further experimentation with this product category is required. Had an experience where the configuration inappropriately limited local bandwidth usage in a guest VM resulting in sluggish operation of the guest and thrashing on the host. Appropriate tuning required.

Hardware and Server

SHIP TEST Environment

• LIVE product shifted to production so uluru:8080 could be returned to pointing at the shiptest database.

Subversion repositorIES

• Establish mirroring of the PRODUCT repository to shore. Seeded BuildHQ with copy from 2016.
• Establish mirroring of the JRDOCS repository to shore. Seeded BuildHQ with copy previously taken to shore.
• Remove mirroring configuration for the IMS repository. Was renamed to LV in 2016 Oct.
• Verified. The RSYNC task that manages our Subversion mirroring is robust across video conference internet blackout. It picks up and continues at the next scheduled time.

Novell shared directory changes

• Individual directories are moved to R:\AD\people
  {your-name-or-initials}.
• Structure of manuals is re-arranged in R:\dml. Take a moment to familiarize and review.

Database

• SAMPLE.LOGIN_DATE, TEST.DATE_RECEIVED and RESULT.ENTERED_ON all modified to auto-populate. Web-services do not provide them. The added information is a useful aid in detangling edit history on the occasional sample and/or experiment catalog. No impact on current code. Meaning of fields is shaded within current and historical usage.
• Revised test instances to carry sequences whose keys end in zero (rather than 1 or 2 and 4 as the production environments do).

System Manager's Report

MIKE HODGE AND MINH HUYNH

Servers (Microsoft):

• First noticed on April 14^th McAfee messages stating that it was out of date and needed updating. Investigating showed last updated on March 13^th. Notified shore that shore repository was not updating ship's repository. After initial shore investigation a ticket was opened with McAfee to resolve shore repository not updating. Several days later shore repository fixed and updates resumed to ship.
• McAfee sent email notice that scan engine 5800 will be end-of-life September 2017. McAfee then made available and pushed out new scan engines (5900) for PCs April 27^th. Macs pushed out on May 9^th. Spot checks of various workstations showed all to be running the new scan engine.
• On April 17^th while attempting to inspect AVTech and Commvault consoles discovered Erebus had hung prior to first full backup for expedition. A forced power cycle of the server was initiated to regain access to the server. After power-up was then able to gain access to AVTech and Commvault consoles. Full backups scheduled for 1 AM April 16^th were pending. After power-up they initiated and completed as normal.
• On May 13^th was notified by shore to investigate ship environment and patch it current to Microsoft specifications concerning prevention of WANNACRY ransomware malware from spreading onboard ship.
  • 11 PCs were found vulnerable and were patched current.
  • 2 Microsoft 2012 servers were patched.
• New Cumulus/AMS virtual server (named Nebo) was built with Microsoft Server 2016 OS. This server is for migration from physical server and will be implemented during Subic Bay tie-up period.
• Microsoft Exchange server setup tasks and preparations for migration;
  • Exchange Database and file systems have been setup and are currently being backed up on the standard JR backup cycle
  • Exchange mailbox backup work continues:
    • Configured ship-srv server with a mailbox agent
    • Installed Outlook 2013 client on ship-srv
    • Added TAMU-IT account jr_exchangebackup to the local administrators group.
    • Created a new Exchange mailbox backup job for ship-srv
    • Outstanding issues
      • Backups fails part way through cycle
      • NIC on ship-srv was wrong type, has been replaced
      • Took ship-srv server (needlessly) out of Microsoft Active Directory (AD) domain
        • Waiting for TAMU-IT to add ship-srv server back into AD domain

Servers (Linux):

• While performing MCS SOP portcall procedures during Hong Kong portcall discovered that Apache localhost log files were not self-cleaning on Tomcat application servers Olympus, Matterhorn, Elcaptain and Uluru. Several hundred log files had accumulated on each server. Discussed requirements with Developers and devised a command to prune log files and keep last 99 days of log files. Command was then scheduled in crontab utility to run daily on each server.

Servers (ODA):

• EMGC_ADMINSERVER heap usage alarm has been increased to 99% utilization threshold to prevent false positives from WebLogic application server. WebLogic has task functions that monitor Oracle LIMS database status. This change was made on the OEM Server because the alarms did not indicate a problem with the server and was registering excessive false alarms.

Servers (VMware):

• No issues to report concerning VMWare servers or services.

3PAR SAN:

• HP 3PAR SAN was exhibiting excessive internet traffic continuously. A ticket was opened with HP and a patch was identified for installation. This patch was to cut down traffic between the SAN and HP monitoring server in Houston, TX. Patch was installed with no noticeable reduction in traffic. Reviewing log traffic on JR firewall showed excessive packet drop age at the rate of over 18,000 per second. This was contributing to satellite bandwidth congestion. Firewall classified dropped packets as a possible RST flood attack. A ticket was opened with firewall vendor (Dell) who immediately identified problem to a recent firewall patch installed during Expedition 367. In the patch was a parameter turned on by default from vendor for implementing a security protocol that is not compatible with JR network. Disabling this parameter restored normal traffic and stopped the dropped packet traffic on firewall.

Network:

• Implemented security parameters on JR firewall and VPN appliances to bring them into compliance with TAMU network policies and guidelines.

PC Workstations:

• WinFrog2 in UWGL lab required Microsoft Office to be re-authorized. The workstation was placed on internet to do but, encountered errors when attempting to authorize Office. Investigated error message revealed that our 100 user license had been consumed. Re-applied for another license key from campus and obtained. Entered new license key on Winfrog2 and was able to re-authorized MS Office.
• Dell laptops LT53076 & LT53080 were received as spare laptops from shore. Both units were normalized for ship environment.
• A dozen of Corelab HP Z420 PC keyboards were replaced due to sticky keys, wear, missing feet and other defects.
• Capture One v10.1.1 for Windows and Mac downloaded to ship for tie-up period installation on new workstations.

MAC Workstations:

• MacBook Pro MBP52419 received as spare laptop from shore. Was normalized for ship environment.
• Tripp-Lite Model U360-004-MINI USB hubs have been deployed to all Userroom Macs. This is to provide easy access to the Mac-mini USB ports which are awkwardly located at the rear of the Macs making it difficult for users to access.

Printers:

• All HP4350 printers (10 printers) and HP 3800 (Logging office) on JR have been replaced with new HP LaserJet M402dn printers. HP4350s printers are in freight for shore and to be shipped from Philippines.
• HP M402dn printer supplies have been located in F44 network locker and AMS updated. HP4350 supplies have been depreciated in AMS.
• HP Universal Printer Driver PCL6 v6.4.1 was downloaded and installed on Merapi print server appliance. All iPrint HP printers are set to use this driver for Windows 10.
  • NOTE: Firefox complains that the local iPrint Client is not installed even though it has been installed. Solution is to use Internet Explorer for iPrint Client and printer installations until problem can be resolved or newer version of Firefox can be deployed.
• Sharp copier displayed error codes TA, DK, VK, TK1 and stopped functioning during week 7 of expedition. Drum and Developers are at the end of service and need to be replaced. Replacement parts have been order and to arrive Subic Bay. MCSs were able to reset the counters and get a little more time/usage out of copier.

Satellite/Internet/Phones:

• Rain fade has been a multiple occurrence during this expedition. Bad weather has caused outages during the following dates;
  • April 12^th, multiple hours outage
  • May 17^th, multiple intermittent outages
  • May 19^th, 3 hour outage
  • May 28^th, 3 hour outage
  • May 29^th, 2 hour outage
• Worked with shore and Subictel vendor to obtain DSL land line circuit to ship in Subic Bay during upcoming tie-up period. Contract for service was initiated and sent to our shipping agent for Subic Bay authorizing them to obtain service for ship upon arrival.

Other Equipment/Projects:

• AUX AC belt for LTDAT data center AC system was replaced after shift/hours on April 12^th.
• LTSCI Zoom station headset microphone malfunctioned. ETs have repaired headset and returned to MCSs for usage.
• Replaced failed HP 30" monitor RF51794 on Stratigraphic Correlator MAC52767. Replaced with RF51795.

UNDERWAY GEOPHYSICS LAB

JR Keith Dupuis, ALOs and LO

Summary

Navigational data were logged by the WinFrog software on the "WinFrog1" computer throughout the entire Expedition. The configuration file from Expedition 366 was copied and modified for Expedition 368. Site fixes were collected every 10 seconds and averaged using Site Fix software (v344). Site fix reports were printed and sent to the Operations Superintendent.
Bathymetric data were logged using the Bathy2010 software (3.5kHz) on WinFrog2 during transits and seafloor depth determinations. No bathometric data were collected on the first transit, Hong Kong to U1501 (SCSII-41A). The first 12 hours were shallow (< 250m depth.)
The Paleomagnetics lab requested a range of ships heading data to perform some tests. I provided time-series of Gyro/compass heading observations from the Navigational log file Winfrog creates.
Table 1 - Site fix averaging summary.




Table 2 - CHIRP Bathymetry log.

Table 3- Matthews Correction summary. Uncorrected, corrected and actual depths. U1505 has no record of a depth estimate.

The magnetometer was not deployed during this Expedition.

Fan Tail/G-Guns

The G-Guns were dismantled for basic maintenance (cleaning and o-ring replacements) prior to planned deployment on this Expedition. A few O-rings were replaced.
The G-Guns were assembled in the parallel frame and placed on the Fantail deck below the Helideck on 21-April 2017 at ~2100 JR time (while occupying U1501D). They remained on deck until they were deployed, 13-May-2017 (U1502B.) A marine mammal observation was performed with Bridge and Helideck observers. The marine mammal observation routine was performed (per IODP/US Federal policy) with Bridge and Helideck observers and a G-gun ramp-up procedure.
We setup the G-gun parallel assembly with one of the four-point chains longer than the other three. This was not noticed until the crane lifted the guns, and the frame was tilted at a severe angle. The longer chain was "folded" and run through the shackle (on-the-spot) making it closer in length to the other three. The correct chain was found under the floor panels and it was replaced prior to the second planned deployment. The guns were wiped and cleaned prior to the final transit to Shanghai.
The "seizing safety locking wire S/S .041" 1 Lb can, #8860K64" was completely depleted /used. I think it is being ordered.

• Discovered on April 25^th that JR time server was not providing time data. A reboot of the time server resolved matter.
  • On May 4^th time server again stops. Another reboot of server resolved matter.
  • Starting to appear that JR time server requires periodic reboots.
• Replaced failed HP 30" monitor RF51794 on Stratigraphic Correlator MAC52767. Replaced with RF51795.
• A continual issue during the whole expedition was Google searches returning Hong Kong results. Calls were initiated with Rignet (our satellite vendor) and Google's helpdesk for assistance and possible solutions. Rignet provided a URL string for search engine that forces search in USA. However, search results still had some Hong Kong results. Google provide a webpage to report what they called "Report IP Problems". Requires IP address of computer doing search along with a Gmail account and desired search country. Email was sent to all technical staff explaining these options.

Engineering Report

MIKE MEIRING

Overview:

Eleven VIT camera system deployments were successfully performed. Two deployments were made for >30HRS to depths of ~3800m. Pod modifications were made to allow all camera ports to be transparent to all cameras on NTSC video. Both the Telemetry Pods were also modified to support the new Altimeter to be installed. The LCI-90i VIT Tension/Depth/Speed indicator has now been wired to the Siem winch pay-out sensor and calibrated to the Veeder/Tach meters.

VIT System:

Pod Mods

• Both Pods, S/N 1 and S/N 2 were modified to support:

1. An Altimeter instrument that will output accurate distance, frame to seafloor. Pod Port 9 has been allocated to this addition and wired for 24VDC power from Dist B F4 and RS-485 Comms from SVS109A port 4..
2. Coaxial Port 2 was wired to Video 1 on SVS109A&B. All coaxial camera ports; 2, 3 and 4 on the Pod, will now accept any IODP camera type when outputting NTSC video. Ports 3 and 4 will additionally support HD-SDI video also. Coaxial connectors are on order to replace the Burton connectors on the 2 x NTSC camera pressure vessels and Port 2 on Pod S/N 2.

• On Pod S/N 1:

1. Installed 1608 connector C5 and wired to Port 5.
2. Terminated SMB connectors, Amphenol # 903-535P-71A, to C3 and C4 coax cables.
3. Replaced Power supply 5VDCA with the fused PCB version.
4. Balanced the 2 x Quint 24DC P-Supplies.
5. Strapped bag of desiccant to pod frame.

• On Pod S/N 2:

1. Balanced the 2 x Quint 24DC P-Supplies.
2. Bypassed Thermal switch on the 2 x QUINT P-Supply fans and wired them in series directly connected to 24VDC via DIST.B F6.
3. Strapped bag of desiccant to pod frame.

• Barring the P-Supply Fan mod done on S/N 2, both Pods are at the same rev. and documentation were edited to reflect above changes. Pod S/N 1 now on the Frame and Pod S/N 2 as functional Spare

OPTICAL LINK INTEGRITY

OTDR measurements are periodically made on the spare Brown Fiber from DP to the VIT Frame J-Box. Compared against measurements from previous Expeditions, this could be an early indication of potential issues especially on the FORJ and Umbilical.
OTDR measurements, DP to Frame J-Box, BRN Fiber:

• OTDR measurements on the BRN fiber shows no evidence of optical link degradation.

FAILURES

• The DVR PC froze, fortunately during retrieval. Following an investigation by the MCS we were advised to occasionally re-start the DVR PC.
• In Pod S/N 2, found Gbit Ethernet card SVS-209 s/n 057 faulty. No optical output pwr. Replacing the SFP did not solve the problem. Replaced the card with spare and ordered 2 x new cards. GBit Ethernet card not currently in use.
• On both the extended time casing drill-in deployments the Re-entry video failed on retrieval at ~300m but then recovered on the way up. This issue is ongoing since Exp 366 and under investigation. (see below).

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS FOR RE-ENTRY VIDEO FAIL THUS FAR:
EXP 366:

• Re-entry Video fails at ~250m while retrieving following an extended time deployment, drilling in casing. Video recovers before frame is recovered from Moonpool.
• Placed desiccant in both Re-entry and Survey camera pressure vessels.
• Re-entry Video fails at ~300m while retrieving, following a deployment monitoring the drilling-in of casing. Video recovers before frame is recovered from Moonpool.
• Swopped Re-entry and Survey camera cables on the Pod. Two deployments were made without failures. Cables were returned to normal position by expedition end.

EXP 367:

• Experienced Re-entry video failures during last stretch of retrieval on multiple deployments. Video recovers when system on deck.
• Exchanged the Re-entry and Survey cameras with housing backplates only.
• Did not experience any failures on remainder of deployments.

EXP 368:

• No failures on initial deployments.
• .Re-entry Video fails at ~250m while retrieving, following an extended time deployment drilling in casing. Video recovers just before frame is recovered from Moonpool. Diagnostic LED on 309 HD video card in DP indicated a loss of video only indicating link healthy.
• Added desiccant to spare Pod S/N 1. Exchanged the Telemetry Pod S/N 2 on the frame with Telemetry Pod S/N 1. Found no desiccant after opening Pod S/N 2.
• No failures on short deployments.
• Re-entry Video fails at ~250m while retrieving following a deployment drilling in casing again. Video recovers before frame is recovered from Moonpool.
• No further failures on multiple short duration entries.

ACTIONS TAKEN THUS FAR:

• Exchanged Re-entry and Survey Cameras. Exp 367.
• Exchanged Telemetry Pods. Exp 368.
• Added desiccant to camera and Telemetry pressure vessels. Exp 366/8.

CONCLUSIONS:

• Not camera related.
• Not Pod related.
• Failures occur on the longer duration deployments.

Cable between Re-entry camera and Pod now the only path to be eliminated.

LCI-90i TENSIOMETER

• Wired LCI 90i in parallel with Veeder and Tach meters to Siem pay-out sensor on winch.
• Calibrated LCI-90i pay-out reading to the Veeder reading. 1.572pulses/meter.
• Updated Documentation to reflect above changes.
• This integrated measurement solution for VIT Depth/Speed is ready to replace the old Veeder and Tach meters

OTHER:

• Flushed all devices/connectors on frame with fresh water and sprayed with silicon.
• Exercised Fusion splicing equipment and charged batteries.
• Camera that monitors the winch spooling needs replacement.
• Requested CS to machine brackets to fit Bowtek LED lights to VIT Frame holders for emergency use.
• As Built Schematics and draft User Manual handed to Siem Electrical Supervisor.

TEST BENCH:

• Electricians installed a 480VAC Power switching box and wired the spare Seacon hybrid connector as a bench-test setup.

DOWNHOLE TOOLS

APCT3 Comparison test

Ran APCT3 tools in an uncontrolled environment for comparison.

S/N TEMP
023 22.45
007 22.44
034 22.46
002 22.55

ERS

• Prepared ERS for test during Subic/AUS. transit.
• S/N 1 RS Housing mechanical movement strained. Stripped and cleaned sand from unit.
• RS Housing S/N 1 has motor that was installed new on Exp 366 and waterfilled.
• RS Housing S/N 2 has motor that was installed new on Exp 368 and waterfilled.
• Assembled system with S/N 1 RS Housing and S/N 1 Electronics. Exercised motor and left assembly ready for deployment.
• Spare RS Housing S/N 2 and Electronics module S/N 2 tested serviceable.
• Electronics module S/N 2 wires, Blue (1) and Org. (4) were disconnected from 7p MHDG during Exp 366.
• Tool present sw not functional.

ORIENTATION TOOL

• Gyro type orientation tools by Icefield, Flexit and others are commercially available.
• Gyro type sensors are available but will have to be combined with data logger hard and software to then be packaged as an orientation tool.

TOOL INVENTORY

APCT-3: SET2:S/N 539 ERS:S/N 1
1858002 S/N 540 S/N 2
1858007
1858023 SET:S/N 05
1858034
SETP S/N 1 and Microsmart pressure Txd's returned to CS at Exp 367 end.

RIGWATCH

DRAW WORKS ENCODER

• Following the replacement of the draw works clutch, Block position was drifting. Replacing the encoder with spare did not solve the problem. Found an intermittent disconnect in the encoder connector. Did not have a spare connector so hardwired the existing connector. Fault cleared.
• On a subsequent clutch replacement the cover at end of draw works were placed on encoder cable which was pinched and eventually shorted. This caused the failure of the Intrinsic Safe (IS) encoder supply BR1. As the JR is not IS rated, I by-passed the supply to get Block position functional again.
• Spare encoder/connector/pigtail on order.

Encoder Dynapar part # DY IS380426-32 OV6501
Cust part #: 202-00640-00AA

SHIPPING RECEIVED:

• 4CH CWDM OV9017
• SFP ASF53 24-80-D OV0936
• 1 X SET2 S/N 539
• APCT3's S/N 007 and S/N 034.

ORDERS PLACED:

• 2 X SVS-209 Gbit Ethernet cards from Seaview.
• Draw works encoder, including connector and pigtail.
• 4 x coax U/W connectors. MINL-1CX, 6#22-FCRL
• 1 x NTSC Video Gen. Newark 17C1204
• FO Patchleads for Subsea testbench.
• Machined brackets for Bowtech LED lights.
• Cross-over, SET2/CDS
• RPO for Winch monitoring NTSC camera.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Fit coax connectors to Pod S/N 2 and both NTSC cameras. MikeM
• Locate Repaired LCI-90i S/N 1121 and ship to JR. BobA.
• Awaiting new design cross-over sub to allow the SET2 carrier (OM1610) to be deployed with CDS. BobA
• User training on Sonar to be arranged.
• Return repaired P/T S/N 3006 to JR.
• Replace draw works encoder connector.