"Facts are better than dreams."—Winston S. Churchill
The objective of returning to Ocean Drilling Program Site 735 near the Atlantis II Fracture Zone on the Southwest Indian Ridge during Leg 176 was to obtain a long section of gabbro and with it establish how the lower ocean crust forms at a slowly spreading ridge. The transition between rocks of the lower crust and upper mantle was potentially within reach. In the end, the hole was extended by more than 1000 m, achieving a total penetration of 1508 m, all but a tiny portion of it in gabbro.
We present a brief narrative history of Hole 735B, placing it in the context of planning for scientific drilling of the ocean crust over a period of more than a decade, during which our general knowledge of the structure and composition of ocean crust changed and developed. The separate contributions in this volume, of others published elsewhere, and of a scientific synthesis prepared in tandem with this report, should all be considered in relation to those plans. Drilling of the ocean crust depends on drilling technology and on decisions made at sea almost daily to make that technology work to best advantage. Success in the future will depend on a clear understanding of how to match drilling objectives with drilling technology. This is a case study of one such enterprise.
1Natland, J.H., and Dick, H.J.B., 2002. A brief narrative history of ODP Hole 735B. In Natland, J.H., Dick, H.J.B., Miller, D.J., and Von Herzen, R.P. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 176 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/176_SR/hist/hist.htm>. [Cited YYYY-MM-DD]
2Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami FL 33149, USA. jnatland@rsmas.miami.edu
3Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA 02543, USA.
Initial receipt: 8 November 2001
Acceptance: 6 June 2002
Web publication:
5 September 2002
Ms 176SR-021