Deep Sea Drilling Project

international scientific effort

Also known as: DSDP

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June 25, 2026

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The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) was an international scientific effort that utilized the oceanographic drilling vessel Glomar Challenger from 1968 to 1983. This ship was equipped to drill over 1,700 meters into the ocean floor at 624 sites across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.1

The project's findings were crucial in supporting the theory of plate tectonics by providing evidence for continental drift and seafloor renewal. Later projects, such as the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, continued this work, advancing geoscientific exploration and contributing to the discovery of resources and understanding of undersea volcanism. The Glomar Challenger's work was continued by the JOIDES Resolution.12

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Antarctica
The surrounding seas
As part of the Deep Sea Drilling Project conducted from 1968 to 1983 by the U.S. government, the drilling ship Glomar Challenger undertook several cruises of Antarctic and subantarctic waters to gather and study materials on and below the ocean floor. Expeditions included one between Australia and the Ross…
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As part of the Deep Sea Drilling Project conducted from 1968 to 1983 by the U.S. government, the drilling ship Glomar Challenger undertook several cruises of Antarctic and subantarctic waters to gather and study materials on and below the ocean floor. Expeditions included one between Australia and the Ross…
Read More

Glomar Challenger
The exploratory ship of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (later the Ocean Drilling Project; ODP), it was equipped with a drilling derrick 43 metres (140 feet) high and was capable of drilling more than 1,700 metres (5,570 feet) into the ocean floor. It investigated some 624 sites in the Atlantic,…
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The exploratory ship of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (later the Ocean Drilling Project; ODP), it was equipped with a drilling derrick 43 metres (140 feet) high and was capable of drilling more than 1,700 metres (5,570 feet) into the ocean floor. It investigated some 624 sites in the Atlantic,…
Read More

Indian Ocean
Systematic investigations
Several legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (1968–83) were in the Indian Ocean. Those more recent and technologically advanced scientific explorations have provided insights into the marine geology, geophysics, and resource potentials of the Indian Ocean. In addition, the use of aerial and satellite photography has been useful…
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Several legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (1968–83) were in the Indian Ocean. Those more recent and technologically advanced scientific explorations have provided insights into the marine geology, geophysics, and resource potentials of the Indian Ocean. In addition, the use of aerial and satellite photography has been useful…
Read More