Table of Contents 



Preface ix 



1. The Oceans and Their History 1 



2. Envisaging the Past and Future 19 



3. Exploring the Ocean Floor 25 



4. The Sediment Carpet and the Substratum 48 



5. Recent Developments in the Investigation of the 



Deep Ocean Floor 69 



6. The Deep-Sea Deposits and Their Stratigraphy 77 



7. Recent Investigations on the Stratigraphy of 



Deep-Sea Sediments 101 



8. Deep-Sea Radium and the Geochronology of the 



Ocean Floor 112 



9. The Bottom Waters of the Ocean and Their 



Movements 133 



10. Life in Great Depths 151 



Notes 167 



Index 175 



