Ready for the Moho: IODP Exp 360

International Ocean Discovery Program: Exp. 360

Expedition 360 can be followed live on the web

Our collegues, dr Sanfilippo and Prof. Tribuzio, are in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

They will set out this week to drill a hole into the Indian Ocean floor to try to get below the Earth's crust for the first time.

The Exp 360 want to sample rock from the planet's mantle - its deep interior. In the process, the researchers hope to check their assumptions about the materials from which the crust itself is made.
The Moho is the line between the crust and the mantle: a demarcation between igneous rocks - such as granites, basalts and gabbros - and those of the interior peridotites.

Follow the BBC news for more details.