Past and Future Impact of Deep Drilling in the Oceanic Crust and Mantle

Knowledge of the composition of oceanic crust is critical for calculating the fl uxes of mass, heat, and volatiles from Earth's interior to its crust, oceans, and atmosphere.In the great debate over continental drift, Alfred Wegener claimed the oceanic crust, when explored, would prove to be nothing like the continental crust.Scientists have been fi ghting over its nature ever since, although it is clear that Wegener had it right.In his seminal paper, The History of Ocean Basins (Hess, 1962), Harry Hess argued: "The oceanic crust is serpen-