Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-24

Mans First Window Into the Earth's Interior

Of the physical strength and other
properties Of mantle rock would
tell much about earthquakes.
Man scientists are also anxious
TO put rock from the mantle in
front Of q Geiger counter and
measure its radioactivity. Recent
research has revealed that part Of
the earth's heat comes from radio
activity inside the earth. How
much depends on just how RADIO
active the interior rock is.
Finally the mantle and the
moon are thought to be formed
from the same kind of rock. Thus,
says Willard Bascom, executive
secretary Of the Amsoc- Mohole
committee. rock brought up
through the Mohole may provide
a sample Of the moon right here
on earth.
Record Of First Life
The Mohole will also penetrate.
portions of the earth's crust that
have never been explored before
and that may contain the record
OF the time and place of the first
life on earth. Ocean research ships
equipped with a device called the
piston corer" can bring up
samples OF the ocean bottom con-
tanning the fossilized remains Of
ancient sea life. However the
largest piston corers punch only.
30 feet into the ocean floor and
have brought back fossils no more
than 100 million years old. If
traces of the earliest forms of life
still remain in the ocean bottom
they may have been destroyed by
the enormous pressure of the
ocean deep = the Mohole should
uncover them.
The method to be followed In
drilling the Mohole has not been
settled. But it is certain to lean
heavily on the petroleum indus7
try's remarkable achievements in
drilling for oil in recent years of
the Pacific Coast and in the Gulf
OF Mexico near Louisiana. -
In underwater drilling, the PEI
troleum industry has found, it's
necessary to have methods of
sealing the hole, of reinserting the
drill in the bore after changing
bits, and of relocating tlle bore
when storms interrupt drilling.
Techniques for all these have been
worked out.
The biggest problems in boring
the Mohole will be keeping the
drilling platform in position over
the hole and supporting the great
weight and preventing kinking
and snarling Of the drill pipe. For
the drill pipe must reach from the
drilling platform all the way down
through the water to the ocean
bottom and on down to the bottom
of the Mohole. The pipe will have
to be at least six miles long al
together.
Because of the depth of the wa.
ter, it may prove impossible to
anchor the drilling platform in
conventional fashion. One sug-
gested alternative is to anchor a
waterproof light part way down,
then keep the drilling platform in
position over the light with OUT
board motors.
Possibilities for solving the Mo-.
hole pipe problem are the use of
fiotation gear Ito help support the
weight of the pipe) and of pipe.
tapered to reduce its weight at
the lower end. Tapered steel
cables have been used by research
ships to lower instruments to
great ocean depths. -
However, the drilling problems
are solved, the Mohole. will add
a new dimension to mans knowi-
edge of the earth. So much so
that scientists of other nations
are voicing keen interest. And last
fall, the Soviet Academy of Sci.
ences appointed a committee to
study the possibility of the
USSR drilling a Mohole, too.
tCopyrisht, 1859, by the Associated Press)