Introduction : objectives, strategy, operations, shipboard analytical procedures, and explanatory notes of deep sea drilling project leg 54

The Pacific phase of IPOD ocean crust drilling was initiated with Leg 54, the region targeted for study by the Ocean Crust Panel being survey area PT-4 (Figure 1) (and Plate 1 [in back pocket]) north of the Siqueiros fracture zone on the western flank of the East Pacific Rise (EPR). The original purpose of this leg was to establish a type section for fast-spreading, nonrifted crust by direct sampling with stratigraphic control. We anticipated that this section would serve, in part, as a standard of comparison for other type sections, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]