I write this sat in the bar at our accommodation (which is luxury both by fieldtrip standards and what I’m used to), despite having had every intention to get this up and running before departing. Anyway, I will start by explaining why we are here in Kenya and what we hope to achieve in our 3 weeks here.I have come as a field assistant for Helen, a PhD student at Glasgow Uni. Helen’s PhD is studying Geothermal energy in East Africa: Rift geothermics and Fluid Dynamics. We are based near Nakuru at the Menengai Crater where a geothermal potential is being explored and the construction of a power plant is planned with a target for the first electricity generation for domestic use by the end of 2015. This is part of, and will contribute to Geothermal Kenya - an initiative by the Kenyan Government to power 500,000 homes and 300,000 businesses with geothermal energy. Kenya is in a great position for geothermal energy as it sits on the East African Rift (a rift is where tectonic plates move apart). Due to the plates moving apart the crust thins as it is being stretched. The thinner crust allows hot magma to travel up to much shallower depths within the crust (sometimes reaching the surface creating volcanoes). In later posts I will go into further depth about the process of rifting. The Menengai Crater is in fact a caldera – an old volcano which collapsed in on itself (again I shall cover caldera formation in a later post). As such we know that in the past magma was at the surface here. These days the magma is about 1-3km below the surface, heating to very high temperatures the rocks, and any fluid near the surface. This is what makes it such an ideal location for geothermal energy production. During our time here in Kenya the objective is to collect data to enable Helen to develop a conceptual model of subsurface heat and fluid circulation. In simple terms, we will be mapping the Menengai caldera, and collecting samples to analyse gas concentrations. With this Helen will produce a model of how heated fluid and gas moves through the ground, and the depths at which certain gases and fluids originate. The mapping will concentrate on mapping faults, and fractures and in particular their orientation so we can then project how these faults and fractures behave and interact deep under the ground.I aim to post a daily update from this trip, the posts will cover everything including the science behind it all, the methods we will be using, and of course life in Kenya - which so far has been just wonderful, with some beautiful scenery and the friendliest people! Helen is also blogging from Kenya, you can read her blog at http://girlsonfieldwork.blogspot.co.uk/ Hakuna Matata from the crater edge