IODP Expedition 360 : first stage of drilling into Earth’s Mantle

The aim of this paper is to provide a report on the IODP expedition 360 to the Polish geoscientific community. Expedition 360 to the Atlantis Bank along the Southwest Indian Ridge was Leg 1 of the SloMo Project. The primary objective of the SloMo Project is to test competing hypotheses on the nature of the Moho at the slow-spreading oceanic lithosphere. Based on a seismic survey and geologic mapping, the Moho beneath Atlantis Bank is believed to represent a serpentinization front, and not an igneous boundary between gabbro andperidotite. Expedition 360 started on November 30,2015 in Colombo (Sri Lanka), and ended on January 30,2015 in Port Louis (Mauritius). Hole U1473A was drilled 790 m through massive gabbro. Core recovery ranges from 44 to 96% towards the bottom of the hole, where excellent drilling conditions occurred. This deepest single-leg basement hole drilled into ocean crust is in overall good condition andcan be re-entered at Leg 2. For the first time, a Polish nominee has been selectedfor the scientific party of an oceanic IODP expedition. The mantle drilling project raised much attention in the Polish media. One hundred rock samples have been collected to investigate in Poland