298 OCEANOGRAPHY IN THE UNITED STATES 



Mr. LiLL. That is right. 



Mr. Oliver. Concerning information we might hope to get from a 

 project of this kind, we have heard you say something about the prac- 

 tical applications that might be made of that infonnation which we 

 expect might be gotten from this exploration, can you amplify further 

 as to what practicability any information we get here might have ? 



Mr. LiLL. Other than those mentioned by Mr. Bascom, benefits to 

 the oil industry, it is quite difficult to say what will come out of this. 



My attitude toward the thing is more or less a scientific one. I feel 

 in the face of the competition for funds for science these days, wliich 

 all of us see going on, the earth sciences have really suffered. 



Dr. Harry Hess, Dr. Walter Mmik, and Dr. Frank Estabrook, 

 among others, have been scouting about for something exciting for 

 the earth sciences to do which would attract attention and money, 

 and at the same time be highly worth while and exciting, scientifically. 



The reason for this was that the earth sciences were falling behind 

 in getting funds for science. Space scientists were forging ahead. 

 Rocket sciences were forging ahead, and earth science was falling even 

 further behind. 



As a matter of fact, by this project, if we drill to the mantle and 

 get a sample of it, chances are that the rest of the planets in our solar 

 system might have a structure considerably like that of the earth. 



If the rocket scientists and spacemen want to go to other planets 

 they can fijid out a great deal of w^hat will confront them there by 

 studying the earth. We have scarcely begun to study it. 



This project will open up a host of new scientific questions. 



Practically speaking, I think Mr. Bascom has covered nearly all the 

 benefits that we have thought of thus far. There certainly might be 

 other things showing up as we go along. 



Mr. Oliver. In a recent visit we made to Massachusetts it was in- 

 dicated last year in IGY activities that many samples of sediment 

 were procured from the ocean bottoms. I expect that a sampling of 

 those deposits would show the texture of those deposits. 



What you are thinking about is going even deeper into the earth's 

 structure and from that gaining some knowledge and information 

 which might give you an idea as to what makes this earth click. Is 

 that right? 



Mr. LiLL. So far sediment samples taken from the bottom of the 

 ocean are only a few meters in length. They have been taken by these 

 coring devices dropped down from ships, fall from the force of gi-av- 

 ity through the ocean, they pull them out and they find they have 

 collected perhaps 10 meters of sediment. 



The age of these sediments generally goes back a little bit, perhaps, 

 beyond the beginning of the last ice age. 



In other places in the ocean, in digging in Bikini and Eniwetok, we 

 find sediments wliich go back 100 million years. 



On the tops of some of the sea mounts we have collected sediments 

 that go back 100 million years. 



We feel there must be more ancient sediments than these and to 

 find out we propose to drill tlirough whatever is on the ocean bottom 

 and sec if there are ancient sediments there. 



Mr. Oliver. Is there any indication there are any other govern- 

 ments of the world who are moving into this area of activity ? 



