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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VIII, July, 1954 
from the "Capricorn” and other expeditions 
sent out from Scripps Institution. So far no 
explanation for this surprisingly small thick- 
ness of sediment in the Pacific Ocean, gen- 
erally assumed to be the oldest sea basin, 
has been proposed. Possibly a conversion of 
already deposited sediment layers into mag- 
matized crusts through submarine volcanic 
activity may be considered, or else an ex- 
tenuation of the seismic waves through inter- 
mediate lava layers may be assumed. 
Finally I have to mention a great puzzle 
to deep-sea geologists which consists in the 
displacement of already deposited sediments 
through submarine erosion or other agencies. 
Investigations on the Radiolarians in "Alba- 
tross” cores, especially such from the central 
Pacific Ocean, carried out in Goteborg by a 
young Australian scientist, W. Riedel, have 
proved that in some localities Radiolarians of 
recent origin are mixed with such of Tertiary 
age. Similar observations on Foraminifera 
have been made in the Atlantic Ocean by 
Phleger, working on "Albatross” cores, by 
Ericson working on Atlantic cores raised from 
the "Atlantis,” and on Pacific "Albatross” 
cores by Brotzen. On the other hand, by 
means of optical methods developed by Jerlov 
during the "Albatross” cruise, it has proved 
possible to find evidence of submarine ero- 
sion due to bottom currents sweeping over 
ridges or banks. To assign all such cases or 
sediment transportation to the so-called tuf- 
bidity currents studied by Kuenen and others 
does not appear a sufficient explanation. 
Our fond hopes that the deposits from 
great ocean depths constitute records which 
have remained undisturbed for millions upon 
millions of years are obviously not always in 
accordance with established facts. However, 
to infer from this fact that deep-sea coring 
only gives falsified abstracts from the "records 
of the deep” is a false conclusion. Already 
Arrhenius’ pioneer work on cores from the 
eastern Pacific Ocean has proved what valu- 
able results the study of long sediment cores 
can give for increasing our highly limited 
knowledge of the sediment carpet in great 
ocean depths. I believe this will become still 
more evident when, within a few years, the 
"Reports from the Swedish Deep-Sea Ex- 
pedition” will have appeared complete in 
print. 
When the "Albatross” was here in Decem- 
ber, 1947 , I emphasized in a lecture held 
before the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce 
that your city has an unrivaled position for 
the study of the deep ocean floor and for 
unraveling its secrets, I am happy to find now 
that this view has been gaining support from 
leading men of your University. I have had 
great pleasure in finding also what important 
work is being carried out from the new Ma- 
rine Laboratory on Coconut Island and by 
the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service on your 
campus, with results which admirably sup- 
plement our hydrographic sections across the 
Equatorial Current System. I sincerely hope 
that when I come here again, as I hope to 
do, there will be a new centre for deep-sea 
research in operation here, and with this wish 
I beg to thank you for having listened to my 
exposition tonight. 
