MD & IJ
- Jun 28, 2019

130: Dig Update

The most recent digs (17 & 18) occurred once again with a team of five. This time the progress was down what I've called '7 mile' (a long straight that heads far back into the hills under which we dig). It continued to be wet from the humidity build up as from breathing continues to dampen the earth but not the spirits of those digging. We think we produce about half a litre of moisture a dig and it builds up. IJ was not there, just those we call team two, for they are all new and keen as.

These dudes (and one woman) took out around 2 ton of dirt while progressing forward up straight four while others widened the tube behind the lead digger. They progressed up to as far as I could see last time with a spot lamp. The temperature outside was bitterly cold but inside, the tube maintained it's usual 17 degrees. The below photos show the tube after the forward trench was cut, but before others took the excess away from the sides. The process now is to progress forward by 'trenching' (photo #2) and having others clearing the sides while they wait for the bucket of fill to be passed back from the head of the tube. We will need many more people soon! The 2nd photo below is about 17m inside.

Another Moa tibia was found along with a selection of rib segments, some odd concretions on the walls, and as progress allowed they could see the tube roof structure altering. If you look at the top right-hand corner of the above 2nd photo you can see one of the concretions that has been formed by limestone dripping into the tube and solidifying the clay below it. It's the big ball with white chips on it. This ball looks just like any other dirt around it but hacking at it with a steel pick only produces the slightest of chips. It's as solid as a rock. Keeping in mind this clay came from the outside and was placed here, by hand, how long would that process take? Well, my guess is the ball may have formed before the tube was filled and the dirt bound to it over time but we won't know that until we hammer drill a piece off just to see - well, we are curious about this entire tube. The more we learn about it the more fascinating it is.

Beyond where 'Blue boy' is in the photo above, the tube begins to fan out both to the left and the right but mainly to the later. As my rover was too tall, one of the team had made one that was lower and with a GoPro attached took some video of which we show a frame capture below. What you are seeing is the far reaches of the tube at about the 21m (75 ft) mark where it appears to open out wider and higher. It is also less smooth than the tube we have been digging through. Does this mean what we think it does? That far point where you can see the wall is about 21m in. The roof structure is definitely changing. A video of this screenshot is on the YouTube link

There isn't too much else to report as I was not there, suffice to say that this team did a fantastic job in some very difficult conditions. And suffice to say they are now as excited as I've been the last year. Everyone can 'feel' we are close - you can almost smell it.

I remember than some time ago I thought it looked like the fill dropped off and got rather excited only to find the fill continued and I was bitterly disappointed (http://tangatawhenua16.wixsite.com/the-first-ones-blog/single-post/2020/11/28/-Dig-Update-10). It's not nice feeling suddenly disappointed and depressed that far underground because all you want to do is crawl off into some dark hole and sulk - and you then you remember you are already in one...and get more depressed!