When I got back from Texas I, with the help of Brad (a grad student) and Bob (from IRIS) picked up the Texans that had been deployed for my own project 2 days before we left.  And, after a week in Socorro we were off again for some more field work.  This time outside of Las Vegas.  This field work was for Sandra’s thesis.   She creating a high-resolution image of a fault that could potentially have implications on Las Vegas and Yucca Mtn.  We spent Sunday driving (it took us about 11.5 hours to reach the outskirts of Vegas.)  From there we drove to UNLV via Las Vegas Blvd.  While it wasn’t apparent on the map, it became very clear while driving that Las Vegas Blvd. is the strip.  So, Ben, the grad student, my husband and I got to drive the strip pulling the vibe.  Interesting…  We did make it to UNLV though, filled up the water tanks and proceeded to our motel which was in Pahrump (about 40 miles west of Vegas.)  The vibe, if you don’t remember has 3 water tanks which are filled to give it weight to help the push the energy into the ground instead of pushing the trailer off the ground.  In Pahrump we met Sandra and her neice who had come down the day before to get the equipment ready and scout the lines.


This survey went fairly smoothly over the next 4 days.  The biggest difference from Texas was that the Nevada survey had shorter lines and the instrument spacing was much smaller.  Also, instead of using Texans we used the geode with the geophones and cables.  The entire survey wasn’t without worry though.  On the evening of the third day, Sandra checked the data we had collected and thought that there was a problem with the data making it unusable.  Luckily though she was able to fix the problem.  Whew!  

The last day was a long day though.  We got up as usual but we got delayed because the trimble (gps unit) wouldn’t connect with its antennae.  I was incredibly worried because I was the one responsible for a.) taking gps coordinates at every station and source point b.) downloading/backing up the gps data every night and c.) charging the unit.  We finally decided that the problem was the serial cable, and that the trimble often had problems like that in the past.  So, to remedy the problem we decided to leave some of the flags out after we were done.  Then, Chris, who was helping us with the survey from UNLV, would come back out and get the points later.  So, the gps glitch held us up a while, but we were only about a half an hour late arriving out in the field.  And, I got to be the observer for the morning while Sandra worked on her data.  Then, when we finished in the field at noon, we headed back to check out of our rooms, ate lunch and went back to UNLV to empty the vibe tanks.  Then we were off for Socorro.

I learned a lot from the little bit of field work that I helped with in Texas, in Nevada, and in New Mexico (my survey).  The first thing--I have been told, but now really understand--is that something or even multiple things will always go wrong.  No matter how well it seems to be planned or how simple the survey seems problems will surface when you least expect.  But a successful survey team needs to have people who are able to problem solve basic (common sense) types of problems—easier said than done—and solve more complicated equipment, software and mechanical problems.  Also adaptability to changing circumstances is important to a successful survey team.  Equally important to a successful survey team is teamwork.  A team that listens to each other, is respectful to one another and is patient with everyone works much more efficiently and successfully.  Patience is definitely valuable in the field.  People, as it turns out, can easily become grumpy and agitated with each other after a day of working in the desert and being faced with difficulties.  For example, in Nevada the first day, Sandra, was frustrated at the speed with which we were placing the lines out.  And, as a result, she communicated with us in a frustrated and discouraging way that was not helping us to speed up.  The second day, began riddled with a great deal of conflict and arguing. Well, early on the second day, I spoke with her about her attitude (I think I used tact).  She took to heart what I told her and her leadership changed drastically.  We sped up the lines, and the efficiency of the fieldwork increased dramatically.  So, when interpersonal problems do arise, its important to address the problem early.  If we hadn’t have addressed the problem with Sandra, the week in Nevada would have been a long, miserable one indeed.

I also have found that keeping notes can be very helpful.  It helps you remember what you’ve done, and what needs to be done.  Especially in the field there are so many things that need to be remembered throughout the day.  Even after you retire to your motel room the list of tasks of the day don’t end.  Usually there are chores such as charging radios, gps etc.  or backing up data.  Forgetting even a seemingly small detail (eg. Bringing a sharpie) can lead to big problems later.