1 do is all accurate. For obvious reasons, I know that as soon as I make 



2 an absolute statement, I'll get clobbered by everybody. I may be 



3 looking for a job, too; I don't know. 



4 DR. KRAEUTER: We are not talking about blocks now. We are 



5 talking about a specific thing and how the blocks fall is irrelevant. 

 5 DR. AURAND: All right, so we've got added dilution. Given the 



7 added dilution, what can we do with some of these concerns? Maybe we 



8 should take metals. Is there any consensus on anything we can say about 



9 metal input in this situation? 



10 DR. RAY: Metal input to where? 



11 DR. AURAND: Metal input to the canyon. 



12 DR. RAY: I can tell you what we have seen with the variety of 



13 studies we have done. Once you get outside several hundred meters, we 



14 find it virtually impossible to pick up elevated signals of all the 



15 trace metals you're looking for outside of barium. 



16 All the other ones that are associated with the drilling fluids, 



17 we can't find them measurably above background. I guess in the case 



18 where you have one or two percent fines out of your total sediment 



19 distribution, you may be able to pick up signals, like some of the stuff 



20 you did, Mike. 



21 In general, we have not been able to pick up elevations of these 



22 other trace metals any distance from these platforms. 



23 DR. BOTHNER: I'll respond to that. We couldn't even find 



24 elevated levels of trace metals except right under the rig by looking at 



25 the fine fraction on Georges Bank, so I agree with you, I think, that 



26 metals from the drilling operations are going to be very weak signals, 



27 and not a serious concern. 



28 DR. BUTMAN: Mike, I don't think you can generalize from what you 



29 found on Georges Bank in terms of where here there is a much larger fine 



30 fraction. I don't think you can say that is going to be the same, that 



31 you wouldn't find an increase in metals in a much stronger deposition 



32 environment. 



33 DR. BOTHNER: That may be, but in Georges Bank, of course, there's 



34 much fewer fine fractions, so on the other side of the coin that I agree 



287 



