Abstract :
The Advanced Ocean Drilling Program Program (AODP) is an international program of basic scientific research designed to improve our fundamental understanding of physical, chemical and biological processes that determine the geological history, structure and evolution of oceanic sediments and crust. This Program is planned as a follow-on to the highly successful Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), which will cease drilling in November of this year. Intellectual resources which are being utilized in planning the research program include the plate tectonic theory, results of the DSDP, recommendations of the Conference on Scientific Ocean Drilling and the initial planning document of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES). The major areas of scientific interest include the origin and evolution of oceanic crust, the tectonic evolution of continental margins, the origin and evolution of marine sedimentary sequences and the causes of the long term changes in the earth´s atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere and magnetic field. In particular the Program seeks information leading to a more complete understanding of the following areas: 1) process of magma generation and oceanic crustal formation; 2) configuration, chemistry and dynamics of hydrothermal systems; 3) early rifting history of passive continental margins; 4) dynamics of forearc evolution; 5) structure and volcanic history of island arcs; 6) response of marine sedimentation to fluctuations in sea level; 7) sedimentation in oxygen-deficient oceans; 8) global mass balancing of sediments; 9) history of ocean circulation; 10) response of the atmosphere and oceans to variations of the planetary orbits; 11) patterns of evolution of microorganisms; and 12) history of the earth´s magnetic field and magnetic reversals. Present plans envision a ten year program beginning in October 1984.
