Ocean Drilling Program

Research project initiated in the USA to sample the rocks of the ocean crust. Initially under the direction of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the project was planned and administered by the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES). The operation became international in 1975, when Britain, France, West Germany, Japan, and the USSR also became involved.

Boreholes were drilled in all the oceans using the JOIDES ships Glomar Challenger and Resolution. Knowledge of the nature and history of the ocean basins was increased dramatically. The technical difficulty of drilling the seabed to a depth of 2,000 m/6,500 ft was overcome by keeping the ship in position with side-thrusting propellers and satellite navigation, and by guiding the drill using a radiolocation system. The project is intended to continue until 2005.