Notes from the field: Tiryns, 2012

At the beginning of our last day in the field, the sun was already well above the ruins of the Mycenaen castle in Tiryns. We had to wait for the GPS to wake up - he'd been increasingly sluggish the last week. Then we made some random gravity measurements and a few quick profiles before the van had to be packed for the drive back to Germany (on the Superfast ferry from Patras to Ancona, Italy and then overland). Most of us flew back to Cologne from Athens.

Looking back, three days later and home in rainy Cologne, it's amazing all the data we collected: passive seismic, P-wave tomography, S-wave tomography, active seismic (in place until next spring), gravity, and differential GPS locations for almost everything. Hector, our doctoral student also did some structural geology measurements.

It's been a field campaign of varying length. A couple of us had been there for four weeks at that time, others three weeks. I think I could have handled another week, but then would have come to the end of my endurance. Once you're over fifty, you really feel it in your bones when you're measuring in 35^oC for eight hours a day. I wouldn't have been able to stand it if it weren't for my lovely and capable measuring partner, Jana (featured below).

 A girl and her differential GPS. It's not easy looking good in the field, but Jana managed it every day.

Next year we'll go back to uncover Medea's geophysical secrets.

A pictorial journal shows the highlights of our Odyssey along our appropriately-named project HERACLES.

The van with its Uni Cologne logo - driven from Cologne to Tiryns and back again.

A panoramic view of Tiryns castle from the east

West view of the castle from the aptly named Mosquito Alley. A mini seismometer array lurks in the foreground

 

Science in Action! Here's the newly designed shear wave source being applied to a refraction line on Mosquito Alley.

Our hotel pool at Anthemion House and a view to Napflion and the hills beyond. Unfortunately, we could not enjoy the pool as much as we would have liked due to just being too darn tired at the end of the day.

Dida, the dig Hund helping Gregor analyze the day's data.

Primary Fault Reviews, September 2012

The month is progressing well. I've three very nice reviews this week for my debut novel, Primary Fault.

The first was from Martha Hubbard writing for The Future Fire Reviews.  I liked her description of the book and her take on the Celtic mythology aspects. The Future Fire is per their manifesto: an e-published magazine showcasing new writing in Social-Political Speculative Fiction, with a special interest in Feminist SF, Queer SF, Eco SF, Postcolonial SF and Cyberpunk.

The second review was from Annette Gisby at her Books and Tales blog. I also liked her take on the story and the characters. Annette writes thrillers as well as erotica, therefore the adult content warning when you enter the blog. But don't let that stop you. Go on in and have a look around the site and check out her published works as well. I am sure that I'll enjoy her writing as well and look forward to reading it.

The Midwest Book Review, overseen by James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, is a sprawling enterprise, with several different categories of review catalogues that, according to their website, are specifically designed for community and academic librarians, booksellers, and the general reading public. They are very supportive of Indie publishers. One of their reviewiers, Willis Buhle, also gave Primary Fault a favorable review in Reviewer's Bookwatch.

I'd like to thank these reviewers for their honesty and thoughtfulness.

Onward!

Heracles : Report from Tiryns, Week 1

HERACLES, our archaeoseismological (big word, eight syllables, wooh) project in the ruins of the Mycanean Palace in Tiryns started last week. I won't be joining the crew for another week, but I do have pictures!

The gravimeter that has my name on it. He's waiting patiently for my arrival.

Not a field of flowers, but a field of seismometers. With their own sun.

Every dig needs its own dog. He has a Greek name (Dida) and a German one (Wurst).

Archeologists and Geoscientists of all sizes and nationalities working together. Yes, it can be done.