Project Mohole: Difference between revisions
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== Background == |
== Background == |
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In 1957, Munk and [[Harry Hammond Hess|Harry Hess]] suggested the idea behind [[Project Mohole]]: to drill into the [[Mohorovicic Discontinuity]] and obtain a sample of the Earth's [[mantle (geology)|mantle]]. While such a project was not feasible on land, drilling in the open ocean would be more feasible, because the mantle is much closer to the [[sea floor]]. Initially led by the informal group of scientists known as the [[American Miscellaneous Society]] (AMSOC, including Hess, [[Maurice Ewing]], and [[Roger Revelle]]),<ref name="70yrs" /> the project was eventually taken over by the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF). Initial test drillings into the sea floor led by [[Willard Bascom]] occurred off [[Guadalupe Island]], Mexico in March and April 1961.<ref name="Life Mohole">{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9lEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA110&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=High drama of bold thrust through the ocean floor: Earth's second layer is tapped in prelude to MOHOLE|first=John|last=Steinbeck|work=Life Magazine|date=April 14, 1961|accessdate=September 11, 2010}}</ref> The project was mismanaged and grew in expense after the construction company [[KBR (company)|Brown and Root]] won the contract to continue the effort, however, and Congress discontinued the project toward the end of 1966.<ref name="nomohole">{{cite news|url=http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1993/1/1993_1_54.shtml|title=Why Mohole was no hole|first=Daniel|last=Sweeney|work=Invention and Technology Magazine – American Heritage|date=1993|pages=55–63|volume=9|accessdate=August 14, 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201150256/http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1993/1/1993_1_54.shtml|archivedate=December 1, 2008}}</ref> While Project Mohole was not successful, the idea led to projects such as NSF's [[Deep Sea Drilling Program]].<ref name="mohole" /> |
In 1957, Munk and [[Harry Hammond Hess|Harry Hess]] suggested the idea behind [[Project Mohole]]: to drill into the [[Mohorovicic Discontinuity]] and obtain a sample of the Earth's [[mantle (geology)|mantle]]. While such a project was not feasible on land, drilling in the open ocean would be more feasible, because the mantle is much closer to the [[sea floor]]. Initially led by the informal group of scientists known as the [[American Miscellaneous Society]] (AMSOC, including Hess, [[Maurice Ewing]], and [[Roger Revelle]]),<ref name="70yrs">{{cite book|publisher=Springer-Verlag|location=Berlin|title=Seventy Years of Exploration in Oceanography: A Prolonged Weekend Discussion with Walter Munk|date=2010|first=Hans|last=von Storch|author2=Klaus Hasselmann|isbn=978-3-642-12086-2|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-12087-9}}</ref> the project was eventually taken over by the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF). Initial test drillings into the sea floor led by [[Willard Bascom]] occurred off [[Guadalupe Island]], Mexico in March and April 1961.<ref name="Life Mohole">{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9lEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA110&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=High drama of bold thrust through the ocean floor: Earth's second layer is tapped in prelude to MOHOLE|first=John|last=Steinbeck|work=Life Magazine|date=April 14, 1961|accessdate=September 11, 2010}}</ref> The project was mismanaged and grew in expense after the construction company [[KBR (company)|Brown and Root]] won the contract to continue the effort, however, and Congress discontinued the project toward the end of 1966.<ref name="nomohole">{{cite news|url=http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1993/1/1993_1_54.shtml|title=Why Mohole was no hole|first=Daniel|last=Sweeney|work=Invention and Technology Magazine – American Heritage|date=1993|pages=55–63|volume=9|accessdate=August 14, 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201150256/http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1993/1/1993_1_54.shtml|archivedate=December 1, 2008}}</ref> While Project Mohole was not successful, the idea led to projects such as NSF's [[Deep Sea Drilling Program]].<ref name="mohole" /> |
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== Phase 1 == |
== Phase 1 == |
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Revision as of 18:48, 25 June 2019
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
 CUSS I | |
| Date | 1961 |
|---|---|
| Location | Off Guadalupe Island, Mexico, Pacific Ocean |
| Outcome | Failed attempt to enter the Mohorovičić discontinuity |
Project Mohole was an attempt in the early 1960s to drill through the Earth's crust into the Mohorovičić discontinuity, and to provide an Earth science complement to the high-profile Space Race. The project was initially led by the American Miscellaneous Society with funding from the National Science Foundation. Hollis Hedberg a geologist from Gulf Oil Corporation chaired the AMSOC Mohole subcommittee from 1962-1963.[1]
Background
In 1957, Munk and Harry Hess suggested the idea behind Project Mohole: to drill into the Mohorovicic Discontinuity and obtain a sample of the Earth's mantle. While such a project was not feasible on land, drilling in the open ocean would be more feasible, because the mantle is much closer to the sea floor. Initially led by the informal group of scientists known as the American Miscellaneous Society (AMSOC, including Hess, Maurice Ewing, and Roger Revelle),[2] the project was eventually taken over by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Initial test drillings into the sea floor led by Willard Bascom occurred off Guadalupe Island, Mexico in March and April 1961.[3] The project was mismanaged and grew in expense after the construction company Brown and Root won the contract to continue the effort, however, and Congress discontinued the project toward the end of 1966.[4] While Project Mohole was not successful, the idea led to projects such as NSF's Deep Sea Drilling Program.[5]
Phase 1
Phase One was executed in spring 1961. Five holes were drilled off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico, the deepest to 601 ft (183 m) below the sea floor in 11,700 ft (3,600 m) of water. This was unprecedented: not in the hole's depth but because of the depth of the ocean and because it was drilled from an untethered platform. Also, the core sample proved to be valuable, penetrating through Miocene-age sediments for the first time with lowest 44 feet (13 m) consisting of basalt.
Project Mohole contracted with Global Marine of Los Angeles for the use of its oil drillship CUSS I. A consortium of Continental, Union, Superior and Shell Oil Companies, CUSS had originally developed it in 1956 as a technological test bed for the nascent offshore oil industry. CUSS I was one of the first vessels in the world capable of drilling in water depth up to 11,700 ft (3,600 m), while maintaining a position within a radius of 600 ft (180 m). Project Mohole expanded its operational range by inventing what is now known as dynamic positioning.[6]
Phase 2
The deeper drilling that was to occur in the second phase of the project never took place. An attempted shift of operational control to the National Science Foundation proved unsatisfactory, and in short order the American Miscellaneous Society dissolved itself, Phase Two of the project was abandoned and the entire project was discontinued by Congress, which objected to increasing costs in 1966.[5][7]
Legacy
Phase One proved that both the technology and expertise were available to drill into the Earth's mantle. It was intended as the experimental phase of the project, and did succeed in drilling to a depth of 601 ft (183 m) below the sea floor.[5][7]
See also
- Walter Munk
- Ocean Drilling Program
- Deep Sea Drilling Program
- Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
- International Ocean Discovery Program
- Kola Superdeep Borehole
References
- ^ "Hollis Dow Hedberg (1903-1988)" (pdf). National Academy of Sciences Organization. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ von Storch, Hans; Klaus Hasselmann (2010). Seventy Years of Exploration in Oceanography: A Prolonged Weekend Discussion with Walter Munk. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-12087-9. ISBN 978-3-642-12086-2.
- ^ Steinbeck, John (April 14, 1961). "High drama of bold thrust through the ocean floor: Earth's second layer is tapped in prelude to MOHOLE". Life Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ Sweeney, Daniel (1993). "Why Mohole was no hole". Invention and Technology Magazine – American Heritage. Vol. 9. pp. 55–63. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c The National Academies (2005). "Project Mohole 1958–1966". Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ Van Keuren, David K. (2004). "Chapter 6: Breaking New Ground-The Origins of Scientific Ocean Drilling". The Machine in Neptune's Garden: Historical Perspectives on Technology and the Marine Environment. Science History Publications. pp. 183–210. ISBN 0881353728. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Project Mohole". IODP. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
Bibliography
- A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea: The Story of the Mohole Project by Willard Bascom, 1961. ISBN 0-385-00711-6
- Oral History Interview. Willard Bascom, 1993.
- Oral History Interview. Robert Bauer, 1993
- Milton Lomask, "A Minor Miracle: An Informal History of the National Science Foundation." NSF
- Chandler, G. N. "Experimental Deep Water Drilling- Project Mohole" (Motion Picture, Library of Congress Catalogue Number: fi 68000006, 28 min)
- Sweeney, D., Why Mohole was no hole, Invention and Technology Magazine – American Heritage, 55–63, 1993
- Steinbeck, J., High drama of bold thrust through the ocean floor: Earth's second layer is tapped in prelude to MOHOLE, Life Magazine, April 14, 1961.
External links
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