Beyond the abyss: The mission to drill through the Earth's crust

By Thomas Page, CNN

Updated 4:43 AM ET, Tue February 4, 2020

The JOIDES Resolution (pictured 2017) is one of the scientific community's only available drilling vessels. A 41-year-old converted oil exploration ship, her drill string can reach depths in excess of 8,000 meters below the ocean surface.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
The JOIDES Resolution (pictured 2017) is one of the scientific community's only available drilling vessels. A 41-year-old converted oil exploration ship, her drill string can reach depths in excess of 8,000 meters below the ocean surface.
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A view down the moon pool -- a void in the middle of the ship -- of the JOIDES Resolution on Expedition 336 in 2011, which probed the North Pond area of the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
A view down the moon pool -- a void in the middle of the ship -- of the JOIDES Resolution on Expedition 336 in 2011, which probed the North Pond area of the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
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A drill string and reentry cone breaks the surface in Iceberg Alley off Antarctica in 2019. The drill string drops through a moon pool and the reentry cone eventually sits on the ocean floor. Each hole is given a name (in this case, U1536E), and the reentry cone allows for future expeditions to drill in the same hole.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
A drill string and reentry cone breaks the surface in Iceberg Alley off Antarctica in 2019. The drill string drops through a moon pool and the reentry cone eventually sits on the ocean floor. Each hole is given a name (in this case, U1536E), and the reentry cone allows for future expeditions to drill in the same hole.
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The JOIDES Resolution leaving Hawaii in 2009 to begin Expedition 320. Named after Captain James Cook's ship the HMS Resolution, she has travelled to all corners of the world, and as a result <a href="https://joidesresolution.org/frequently-asked-questions/" target="_blank">doesn't have a home port</a>.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
The JOIDES Resolution leaving Hawaii in 2009 to begin Expedition 320. Named after Captain James Cook's ship the HMS Resolution, she has travelled to all corners of the world, and as a result doesn't have a home port.
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Sedimentologist Laura Haynes inspects a sample on Expedition 378. Haynes specializes in taking the chemistry of fossil shells and using it to reconstruct seawater acidity at previous stages of history.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
Sedimentologist Laura Haynes inspects a sample on Expedition 378. Haynes specializes in taking the chemistry of fossil shells and using it to reconstruct seawater acidity at previous stages of history.
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Microfossils examined by Laura Haynes aboard the JOIDES Resolution. The rainbow colored microfossil on the left and the carbonate microfossil on the right (stained blue) are fractions of a millimeter wide.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
Microfossils examined by Laura Haynes aboard the JOIDES Resolution. The rainbow colored microfossil on the left and the carbonate microfossil on the right (stained blue) are fractions of a millimeter wide.
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A chunk of gas hydrate extracted from a sample in 2015. Formed by a mixture of water and gas (such as methane) in high pressure, low temperature environments, it has been <a href="https://cnn.com/2017/10/31/asia/on-japan-flammable-ice/index.html" target="_blank">touted as a potential fuel source</a>.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
A chunk of gas hydrate extracted from a sample in 2015. Formed by a mixture of water and gas (such as methane) in high pressure, low temperature environments, it has been touted as a potential fuel source.
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Racks of core samples aboard the Resolution in 2012. After an initial inspection, cores are split lengthways, with one half tested further. Cores are then refrigerated and stored for future scientific evaluation.
Photos: Life in the deep: All aboard the JOIDES Resolution
Racks of core samples aboard the Resolution in 2012. After an initial inspection, cores are split lengthways, with one half tested further. Cores are then refrigerated and stored for future scientific evaluation.
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