Many are smaller, and a few are two to four gallons. Some were a third of a cup, and are gone. Cycles of experimentation, observation, and evaluation precede success. The ocean floor may be covered with these muds, but most are from one to two and a half miles down. Scientists usually split the cores, use half for research, and archive the remaining half for future use.
People help because they want to if they can.
Each piece includes what Joan knows about the sediments. It will be on paper when it's not stamped in the clay or painted on in colorants which are fired onto the piece. Other related materials, including info about kinds of clay bodies, may be available on request.