Drilling Deep: Thursday, July 30, 2015 -- A long tow and finally some mud

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<Five days in Peru

It was a challenge to tow a 24- by 60-foot barge to the middle of the lake. Even with a light breeze, the large vessel seemed to wander off course and take a circuitous route. Finally, by mid-afternoon, the barge was over the deepest part of the lake (about 10 meters). The day ended with anchoring the barge, sinking the towering “nails” about 30 feet into the sediment. After a series of delays, the Lake Junín Drill Project got what it came for: the first layers of sediment from one of the world’s oldest lakes.