As part of its continuing program to stimulate superior basic research
in the marine environment, the Office of Naval Research, Ocean Science
and Technology Division, sponsored a series of closed seminar-workshops
in 1972-1973. Each seminar focused upon one re- search area of marine
geology which is relatively new and in need of a critical evaluation and
accelerated support. The subjects areas chosen for the seminars were: 1.
natural gases in marine sediments and their mode of distribution, 2.
nephelometry and the optical properties of ocean waters, 3. physical and
engineering properties of deep-sea sediments, and 4. physics of sound in
marine sediments. The objectives of each seminar-workshop were to bring
into sharper focus the state-of-the-science within each subject area, to
effect some degree of coordination among the investigators working
within each of these areas and to provide the Ocean Science and
Technology Division guidance for national program support. This
volume.contains most of the papers presented at the semi- nar on the
physical and engineering properties of deep-sea sediments. The seminar
was held at Airlie House, Airlie, Virginia on April 24- 27, 1973 and was
organized and chaired by A. Inderbitzen. The at- tendees were invited
from among the leading investigators in this field from both the
engineering and scientific disciplines. Each attendee was requested to
prepare a paper within his area of spe- ciality.