Oh boy, we’ve made to our first destination!! Now that we have learned why the scientists have come all the way out into the South Pacific Ocean, we can finally collect some samples of the ocean sediments. The crew has spent much of the night lowering the drilling pipe down to the seafloor. It will be late tonight before any of the sediments are brought up onto the ship. The pipes are about 5 inches in diameter. Hey, why don’t you try tracing around a tea cup saucer on a piece of paper. The circle will be about the size of the pipe. Each length of this pipe is about 90 feet long! It is so long that it bends when it is picked up even though it is made of strong metal. The long pieces are screwed together until they reach the seafloor.
I have one question for you to think about today. Does anyone remember why the JOIDES Resolution is way out here collecting samples from the seafloor in the South Pacific Ocean?