Deep sea drilling project completes 2nd leg

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1969 · Offshore; (United States)

OSTI ID:5721701

The New York-to-Dakar leg of the Deep Sea Drilling Project did not turn up oil or gas shows--but it did produce these significant highlights: (1) a 2,759-ft hole in 16,316 ft of water, representing the longest drill string ever suspended from a floating platform, 19,075 ft of 5-in. drill pipe weighing approx. 225 tons, as well as the deepest penetration ever achieved into the floor of the deep oceans; and (2) substantiation of the theory of sea-floor spreading, which Dr. Melvin N.A. Peterson, project chief scientist, calls the bold and elegant hypothesis that the floor of the Atlantic Ocean is moving slowly away from the crest of the central or median line of the ocean--the Mid-Atlantic Ridge--like a giant conveyor belt, continuously accumulating sediment throughout millions of years as it moves. The recently-concluded New York-to-Dakar leg was the second of 9 for the Deep Sea Drilling Project, which envisions drilling and coring selected sites across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

• OSTI ID: 5721701
• Journal Information: Offshore; (United States), Journal Name: Offshore; (United States) Vol. 29:1; ISSN OFSHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BOREHOLES
CAVITIES
CORING EQUIPMENT
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
DRILL CORES
DRILL PIPES
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
EARTH CRUST
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EQUIPMENT
EXPLORATORY WELLS
FLOTATION
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
HYPOTHESIS
MARINE SURVEYS
MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
OCEANIC CRUST
OFFSHORE OPERATIONS
PACIFIC OCEAN
PIPES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SEA-FLOOR SPREADING
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
WEIGHT
WELLS