How It Works - UK (2020-02)

http://www.howitworksdaily.com How It Works 053

DIDYOUKNOW?TheJOIDESResolutionstartedlifeasanoildrillship.Shewasupgradedforsciencein 1984

A TING

The JOIDES Resolution is a science ship that drills holes

in the ocean floor to probe the story of the Earth

Words by Laura Mears

powerful ocean-going drill. Its job is to bore into

the sea floor, retriev ing c ylinders of sediment

called cores. Each one is a vertical slice of Earth’s

history, with the most recent sediments on the

top and the oldest at the bottom.

Powered by a motor on the derrick, the drill

can pass through more than 1,600 metres of

seabed. It reaches the ocean floor on a string

made from hollow nine-metre pipes, joined

T

he histor y of the Earth is written in the

rocks beneath our oceans. Dig dow n into

its layers and you’ll find a record of our

planet, and its climate, across millions of years.

This geological histor y book could help us to

predict our future, but unearthing this

remarkable resource is no easy task. Enter the

JOIDES (Joint Oceanographic Institutions for

Deep Earth Sampling) Resolution.

This formidable vessel is a floating laboratory,

measuring 143 metres from bow to stern and

weighing 16,000 tonnes. It has a crew of 125 and

carries a tower, called a derrick, that reaches 62

metres above the water, beneath which hangs a

end-to-end. Each one weighs almost a tonne. As

the drill turns, layers of ocean sediments pass

into plastic tubes, called core barrels, inside the

drill string.

Ever y time the JOIDES Resolution goes out on

an expedition, it has a specific scientific

objective to achieve. This often involves

drilling down to reach sediments from a

particular point in Earth’s past. On deck a

team of scientists are ready to make sure the

ship is on target, and they’ve got a whole suite

of floating labs to help them.

The core barrels travel up through the drill

string and onto the cat walk, right outside the

“The drill can pass

through 1,600

metres of seabed”