During Leg 197, we adopted an ambitious drilling strategy coupled with a seismic survey program that harkens to the early days of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), when plate tectonics and hotspots were first investigated with ocean drilling. We would like to thank all of those associated with DSDP Legs 32 and 55 and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 145, whose work set the stage for our studies.

Several groups played a vital role as we prepared for Leg 197. The Data Repository at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory provided continual help in our efforts to locate and compile older seismic data. Carolyn Degnan at the U.S. Geological Survey helped in preparing electronic files of contoured bathymetric maps for the Emperor Seamounts merged with track-line plots of existing seismic data. Bruce Warren and Breck Owens of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution assisted us in acquiring electronic files defining the seaward limits of the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone.

We thank all those on board the JOIDES Resolution for making our time at sea a pleasure and our program a scientific success. In particular, we are indebted to Operations Manager Ron Grout for his sage advice and deployment of superior drill bits that led to our record-setting basement penetration and high core recovery. Bill Mills, Gus Gustafson, and Dennis Graham accepted with gusto our underway seismic program, which required the installation of new recording software and its integration into the environment of the underway laboratory and implementation of surveying procedures that challenged equipment capabilities. All of these operational essentials were carried out flawlessly. We thank Wayne Malone and the dynamic positioning crew for their remarkable work, which allowed reentries without free-fall funnels. Joe (Bubba) Attryde helped with a wide range of shipboard activities, using his outstanding abilities to design and fashion crucial devices from scratch. We owe a special debt to Michiko Hitchcox, Paula Weiss, and Anastasia Ledwon for the surprise brownie parties. Finally, we thank the ODP Publications Services staff, who made production of this volume efficient and enjoyable.