The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) is the largest
international geoscience project in the world, and the state-of-the-art drill
ship, the JOIDES Resolution, is permanently at sea. Each year
there are six scientific cruises (legs) which each last approximately two
months. These legs are designed by geoscientists from the nineteen countries
that subscribe to ODP.Australia and Canada presently
share ODP membership under the banner of the AUSCAN Consortium. The benefits of
Australia's involvement in ODP
include internationalisation of Australian geoscience, advanced graduate
training, and unique scientific investigations of the ocean floors in the
Australasian region. In addition, visits to Australian ports by the ODP drill
ship, the JOIDES Resolution, contribute up to $2 million per visit to the
local economy. Amongst the many other aspects of ten years of scientific
drilling, OOP has significantly contributed to our understanding of hydrothermal
processes on the seafloor. To date, three hydrothermal sites have been drilled
to date by the OOP, Snakepit (MAR), Middle Valley (Juan de Fuca Ridge) and TAG (MAR).
Two more hydrothermal sites are scheduled for 1996.