Posted on 04/07/2005 2:06:11 PM PDT by beezdotcom
Seeking the elusive 'Moho'
Scientist said this week they had drilled into the lower section of Earth's crust for the first time and were poised to break through to the mantle in coming years.
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) seeks the elusive "Moho," a boundary formally known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity. It marks the division between Earth's brittle outer crust and the hotter, softer mantle.
The depth of the Moho varies. This latest effort, which drilled 4,644 feet (1,416 meters) below the ocean seafloor, appears to have been 1,000 feet off to the side of where it needed to be to pierce the Moho, according to one reading of seismic data used to map the crust's varying thickness.
The new hole, which took nearly eight weeks to drill, is the third deepest ever made. The rock collection brought back to the surface is providing new information about the planet's composition.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The 10-year, $1.5 billion program is funded by the NSF and Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
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What a Ministry! Imagine how much money the people of Japan would save if it were abolished?
And now, the late John Belushi will demonstrate to the scientific community what might happen when the core is reached...
The question is WHY on earth would they do such a thing. And at whos expense.
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The people of Japan were apparently robbed by a Ministry of Everything for this vital project. The 1.5 billion discovery: 'more complicated mantle then expected'.
Have you also converted to Judaism for the jokes?No, but I AM the Master of my Domain.
No soup for you! Next!
He was the one with the big scarf ?
Tom Baker
Gee, thanks for that link that has a photo montage of 10 of the most completely disgusting photos I've ever seen in my life. Definitely NSFW. Not Safe For Keeping Your Lunch Down, either.
We'd have to switch from something mechanical to something like rock-eating laser to accomplish that. And then it probably still wouldn't work. You'd either create a volcano or plug up the hole with solid rock in no time.
See the story "When the World Screamed" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Details, details. Put the generator close enough to catch the steam before it cools. Hopefully the electricity won't cool before it reaches the surface.
AH HA! Now I know what started the tsunami....
Mojito
Details! Details!
I'm just an old man doing a bit of brainstorming.
With geothermal and the state of the energy thing right seems like this shows so much promise that it needs some persual.
I agree wholeheartedly. At times I've wondered what the heck we're doing in space when we know so little about what is beneath our feet.
So they can walk upon the Earth
And get re-situated,
And sell the diet pills
That MC Pee Pants had created!
I'm with you,,I don't like this a bit.
I thought we were sitting on a mega stash of oil in the Permian Basin.
I'm thinking it's a really bad idea too. I half expected the last line of the article to be, "Relax, what could happen?"
Man, you're right. I just saw the info about Mel's hole and didn't even scroll down.
I couldn't figure out how to edit my post, so I reported myself to the moderators.
I'm all for discovery, but you might be right about the grant money.
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