October 12, 2001: Volume 53, Number 6

Across Campus

'Tanking'

John Garver, professor of geology, is no stranger to meeting the logistical challenges of doing fieldwork in remote areas, especially the Russian Far East.

But last summer brought something new: a tank.

"Over the years, I have learned that logistical challenges spawn interesting solutions," he wrote in an account of his trip. "This last summer we found our field party of 11 loading gear onto a surplus Russian military tank for a 14-day excursion to the mountains. Nothing could be so simple and elegant, yet so bizarre."

The tank's gun was removed and a cargo box for gear and diesel fuel was mounted on the back. Inside, the tank could fit only two or three plus the driver, leaving the others to ride on top. Whether inside or on the roof, earplugs were a must against the loud engine and metal-on-metal clanking of the treads.

"More than once," Garver wrote, "I thought what it must be like to be a soldier in the Russian military, and was thankful for my cushy job as a college professor."

"This revitalized Cold War machine was being used to take an American-Russian team to do science in the field," he said. "How times have changed."

Garver and Sarah Johnston '02 were part of a team that included geologists from the U.S. and Russia. Their project, investigating the "suture zone" from a collision of oceanic plates 45 million years ago, is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.

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