Date	Image of the Day	Message of the Day
07/31/2004		Today we successfully completed the final Schlumberger log for this section of the borehole, and hosted local Parkfield residents for a BBQ and tour of the SAFOD drill site. more...
07/30/2004		Following a successful logging operation by GFZ, logging at SAFOD continues with Schlumberger collecting information on the physical properties of the rocks intersected by the borehole. more...
07/29/2004		After reaching a target depth of 4740 ft for the next casing shoe, we are now conditioning the SAFOD borehole in preparation for logging to begin this evening. more...
07/28/2004		Drilling continued non-stop today. Scores of scientists are arriving in Parkfield to launch into the first major well-logging effort here since the pilot hole two years ago. more...
07/27/2004		The 13.375 inch casing arrived today in anticipation of reaching our next casing set point sometime tomorrow. Drilling continues at a steady rate of 15 feet per hour. more...
07/26/2004		We've successfully directed the SAFOD well to the northeast and have resumed normal drilling. With both the drill pipe and the bit motor turning, we've been cruising along at about 20 feet per hour. Our current depth is 3,980 feet. more...
07/25/2004		Overnight the angle was increased on the drilling motor in order to fight a stubborn well that wants to head south when we'd rather it go north. A new bit was also installed, and today we're making rapid progress. more...
07/24/2004		Drilling of the sidetrack continues at an average rate of 5 to 10 feet per hour. Scientists on site are once again collecting a full suite of data, and we anticipate steady progress over the coming days. more...
07/23/2004		Drilling resumed early this morning as the SAFOD main hole was successfully sidetracked. The trajectory of the well will be carefully monitored as we drill ahead. more...
07/22/2004		Drilling progress continued today to 3290 ft. At this point the cuttings are made up of 90% granite, meaning that the sidetrack is nicely started. more...
07/21/2004		Today drillers increased the bend angle on the directional drilling assembly in a continued attempt to initiate the sidetrack. At the end of the day we were drilling at a depth of 3269 ft and seeing increasing percentages of granite in the cuttings, indicating that we are making progress. more...
07/20/2004		We are currently trying to sidetrack the SAFOD main hole a few hundred feet above its intersection with the pilot hole in order to direct it away from the pilot hole. However, convincing the bit to drill through granite instead of cement is not as easy as it sounds! more...
07/19/2004		Drilling resumed today after the cement plug in the main hole had cured. We are currently attempting to sidetrack at the depth of about 3260 ft. The Pason mud loggers are watching the cuttings composition for an increase of granite, which will confirm a successful sidetrack. more...
07/18/2004		Today addtional gyroscopic hole surveys were run in the pilot hole and the main hole. A cement plug was set between the bridge plug (3550 ft) and the kick off point (3175 ft) in preparation for sidetracking the main hole away from the pilot hole. more...
07/17/2004		As it appears that the main hole intersected the pilot hole yesterday, we are backing up about 300 ft to deviate the main hole further away from the pilot hole. Work is continuing to investigate sources of error in the repeated gyroscopic hole surveys that indicated that the two holes were more than 20 ft apart. more...
07/16/2004		After installing a directional mud motor onto the bottom-hole assembly, we've made progress today down to 3715 ft . As we pass through a shear zone, it seems that there is some fluid connection between the main hole and the pilot hole. Experts are trying to investigate the possible reason for this connection. more...
07/15/2004		Following the gyroscopic survey yesterday, a directional mud motor has been deployed at a depth of 3460 ft to precisely control the path of the wellbore.In addtition, EarthScope visitors Greg van der Vink, Mike Jackson, James Fowler and Charna Meth visited the SAFOD site today. more...
07/14/2004		We are now at a depth of 3455 ft and the increased weight on bit seems to have increased our rate of penetration to over 8 ft/hr. more...
07/13/2004		We are turning to the right once again and hope to make good progress with a stiffer bottom hole assembly and more weight on the bit.
07/12/2004		As the crew was replacing the bottom hole assembly this morning a shackle was lost in the hole. A fishing trip was successful and we look forward to resuming normal drilling operations by nightfall. more...
07/11/2004		A loss in circulation pressure has forced the drilling crew to trip out and we are currently waiting for a team to inspect the integrity of the drill collars. more...
07/10/2004		After 85 hours of use, the bit is holding its own at a depth of 3200 ft. more...
07/09/2004		Drilling continues without a hitch through the day to a depth of 3100 ft in the Salinian granite. more...
07/08/2004		Drilling was postponed today as we tripped out of the hole to find and repair a leak in the downhole equipment. more...
07/07/2004		As drilling proceeded (current depth 3014 ft), scientists began arriving on site for discussions about future instrumentation of the SAFOD hole. more...
07/06/2004		Drilling is proceeding steadily at a rate of about 5 to15 feet per hour. Total depth at 6:00 pm is 2866 feet. more...
07/05/2004		We made slow progress today after spending the morning changing to a harder bit with a more optimal design for drilling through the granite. Current depth at 9pm July 5th is 2735 ft. more...
07/04/2004		There was no rest for the weary on this Independence Day at the SAFOD drill site as drilling continued to nearly 2700 ft. Deviating very slightly to the east, the main hole passed about 1000 ft above the SAFOD Pilot Hole. more...
07/03/2004		After a morning bit change, drilling into the basement granite continues at a steady rate, keeping the drillers and the scientists busy. We're now at a depth of 2,450 feet. more...
07/02/2004		Drilling into the weathered granite continued today at a rate of about 10 ft per hour. At 7:00 pm Pacific Time we're at a depth of 2335 ft. We expect consistent progress through the night and into tomorrow. more...
07/01/2004		Today drilling resumed after assembly of the Blow Out Preventer stack. We are now drilling with a 17.5 inch bit, and the rate of penetration has increased up to 20-25 ft/hr while drilling through weathered granite. more...