Jules Verne Forum

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Re: Journey to the Center of the Earth: Not Just a Fantasy Anymore

From: Sean Chamberlin <sean~at~oceansonline.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 11:44:56 -0700
To: "'Jules Verne Forum'" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

Project Mohole (1958-1966) was hardly a waste (see the National Academy of
Sciences description at http://www.nas.edu/history/mohole/). The eight-year
project was the stimulus and predecessor for the Deep Sea Drilling Program
(DSDP), the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP), and the new International Ocean
Drilling Program (IODP). These programs have been and continue to be
enormously successful. They are responsible for confirming plate tectonics
and continue to play a major role in our understanding of Earth processes.
In fact, the researchers who are studying the mid-ocean ridge chasm
mentioned in previous e-mails participate in the ODP Program.

To date, no one has penetrated Earth's crust into the mantle. In May 2005,
scientists drilled 1415 meters through the thinner oceanic crust to within
1000 meters of the mantle in the North Atlantic. The deepest drilling has
been through the thicker continental crust; in 1994, Russian scientists
drilled 12,242 meters.

Just as this list is vehement about correcting misconceptions about Verne,
so, too, must I indulge to correct misconceptions about Earth Science. Given
that the thickness of Earth's crust compared to the size of Earth is,
relatively speaking, roughly equivalent to the thickness of a coat of paint
on a basketball, I'd say the "journey to the center of the Earth" has barely
left the station.

Cheers,

Sean


W. Sean Chamberlin, Ph.D.
Professor, Earth Sciences
Fullerton College
321 E. Chapman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92832
schamberlin~at~fullcoll.edu
http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/schamberlin
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: LAINIE121~at~webtv.net [mailto:LAINIE121~at~webtv.net]
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 11:10 AM
To: Jules Verne Forum
Subject: Re: Journey to the Center of the Earth: Not Just a Fantasy Anymore

Project Mohole was abandoned by the congress in 1957, after $20 Million
was wasted. It was deemed impractical. Just this morning I saw "Voyage
to the Bottom of the Sea" starring Walter Pidgeon on TV. At the end of
my astronomy website I did a story on Jules Verne.
I believe he and H. G. Welles originated science fiction. ~Lainie~

~*Lainie~*The StarGazer*~


My Astronomy Website:
http://community.webtv.net/LAINIE121/doc
Received on Mon 09 Apr 2007 - 21:45:00 IDT

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