Project Mohole, 1957-1976

Project Mohole was an attempt to retrieve a sample of material from the earth's mantle by drilling a hole through the earth's crust to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity. The project was suggested in March 1957 by National Science Foundation (NSF) Earth Science Panel member Walter Munk, who wished to see an earth sciences research project of a scale of ambition comparable to the then-nascent exploration of space. The American Miscellaneous Society (AMSOC), an informal group of scientists of which Munk was a member, endorsed the idea and, after funds had been obtained from NSF, in 1958 undertook the project as the NAS-NRC AMSOC Committee.

The Mohole Project was designed as an ocean-going drilling project made up of three phases, the first consisting of an experimental drilling program, the second consisting of an intermediate vessel program, and the third consisting of the final drilling to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity. Although the first phase brought dramatic success in deep- water drilling off Guadalupe, Mexico, in mid-1961 it was decided to shift operational control to NSF while maintaining the AMSOC Committee as project advisor to NSF. This relationship proved to be unsatisfactory, and after a series of negotiations and redefined agreements with NSF, the AMSOC Committee in 1964 dissolved itself. Two new National Academies committees continued to advise the NSF Mohole Project until the project's discontinuation toward the end of 1966.

The Mohole Project collection is semi-organized and contains correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, clippings, and artifacts. The collection covers the years 1957-1976 and has an approximate span of 16 linear feet.

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