Daily Journal

Agrigan

Maarten's log

After boarding the R/V Wecoma yesterday evening, we cruised overnight for 50 miles from Pagan to Agrigan. We landed at Agrigan with mail and supplies for the inhabitants, who helped bring our equipment and jet fuel ashore. The group with the helicopter flew in from Pagan this morning and refueled before attempting to fly to the summit. Agrigan is the tallest of the Mariana volcanoes, and clouds consequently obscure the peak for most of the time. Today was no different and poor visibility above 500ft prevented us from landing in the summit caldera.

We made the most of our short time on Agrigan and sampled lavas, pyroclastic deposits and scoria along the coast. Some of the lavas had plagioclase "megacrysts" and xenoliths in them that were entrained in the magma as it rose through the lower crust.

Agrigan is full of life, with thick banana and coconut groves, heavily vegetated slopes and friendly people. Flies also thrive on the island and are quite a nuisance. A word of advice for if you ever visit Agrigan: Don't inhale too deeply, or you might suck in a fly! I did.