NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 527 



pling), an organization composed of the University of Miami (Institute of 

 Marine Science), University of Californiia (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), 

 Columbia University (Lamont Geological Observatory), and the Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution. Representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey and 

 other institutions were aboard the drilling vessel Galdrill. The Pan American 

 Petroleum Corp. had agreed that JOIDES could use the vessel for such drilling 

 at no cost for the transit time as Galdrill was moved from California to the 

 Grand Banks off Newfoundland. The ship was put to its most severe test 

 when drilling at two sites bordering the Gulf Stream. Here currents of more 

 than 3 knots were encountered, but they did not prevent the collection of 

 long cores in this striicturally important region. 



The sampling has just been completed, thus only preliminary results are avail- 

 able. However, the success of the operation is amply demonstrated by the 

 following : 



(1) Two fresh water aquifers were found at a distance of 22 miles off- 

 shore. At drill hole depths of 500 and 700 feet, artesian water gushed up 

 with a head of more than 30 feet above sea level. This find greatly 

 extends the known water reserve for this part of Florida. 



(2) Extrapolation of structure and lithology can be made from the land 

 outward across the Continental Shelf. 



(3) Gamma ray logs in holes indicate an extension of economically 

 important phosphorite beds beneath the Continental Shelf. 



(4) Reflected profiles obtained by earlier seismic work were pierced 

 during the drilling. The collection of core samples at these levels will 

 be a great value in interpreting seismic data. A successful velocity log 

 was obtained in the deepest hole and the results confirm seismic velocities 

 obtained previously by other methods. 



(5) Abundant fossil organisms were found in the cores and will permit 

 the correlation of near-shore and deepwater forms in the same horizons. 



(6) Shallow water fossils were found in the deeper portions of the near- 

 shore drill holes. These are of significance in unfolding the history of this 

 continental margin. 



(7) The sedimentary beds of Tertiary age on the Blake Plateau are much 

 thinner than those on this Continental Shelf. This could well be a key 

 reason for the depth of the plateau. 



(8) The apparent continuity of the sedimentary beds across the Con- 

 tinental Shelf and slope does not support an earlier idea of the existence 

 of a north-south pre-Tertiary fault. 



(9) It is now evident that with the necessary modifications of such drill- 

 ing equipment, successful drilling can be accomplished in water of 6,000 

 feet or more. It Is also evident from these preliminary results that basic 

 scientific information and data of potential economic value can be obtain by 

 the continuation of deep ocean coring. 



U.S. Depaetment of the Inteeioe, 



Geological Stjrvet, 

 JacJcsonville, Fla., June 21, 1965. 

 Dr. J. Lamar "Wokzel, 

 Lamont Geological ohservatory, 

 Palisades, N.Y. 



Dear Dr. Woezel: The recent JOIDES drilling program off the coast of 

 northern Florida gave us a rare opportunity to examine the submarine strata 

 that had heretofore been inaccessible to us. Our work in this area is to examine 

 and appraise the water resources in northeastern Florida, particularly the 

 ground water resources which are the most important source of water in this 

 region. The aquifer which supplies most of this water is presently being studied 

 in detail to determine the amount of water available for present and future use 

 and to determine the danger of salt-water intrusion into the aquifer with 

 projected increased use of the aquifer. 



Up to the time of the offshore drilling operation we were only able to examine 

 the aquifer to the coastline although we knew that the aquifer extended below 

 the Continental Shelf. This lack of information beyond the coastline limited 

 our work so that we had only an incomplete picture of the hydrologic character- 

 istics of the aquifer. The drilling program made it possible to learn more about 

 the seaward extension of this Important aquifer. We are now able to make a 



