一、绪言在过去七年中,拉蒙特地质观查所的调查船在世界各大洋获得了远远超过500,000公里的连续地震剖面。然而直到目前为止,关于沉积物中速度随深度分布的资料可资利用的却为数不多,而且大部分是在西北太平洋盆地上。对沉降在大洋盆中沉积物的定量计算以及对速度与物质类型、年龄和固结度之间关系的地质解释,都必需了解速度随深度的变化。因此,在我们的船上引进了这种常规技术,得以在作地震剖面的同时测定详细的速度一深度剖面。这象征着我们对海洋沉积物研究的一个重大发展。发展这种技术要着 I. INTRODUCTION In the past seven years, the investigation vessel at the Lamont Institute of Geological Survey has obtained continuous seismic sections far in excess of 500,000 kilometers in all the world’s oceans. Until now, however, there have been only a few available data on the velocity-depth distribution of sediments, and most of them are in the Northwest Pacific Basin. Quantitative calculations of sediment subsidence in the oceanic basin and geological interpretations of the relationship between velocity and type, age, and firmness of the ocean need to understand velocity versus depth. Therefore, this conventional technique has been introduced on our ship to enable the detailed velocity-depth profile to be determined simultaneously with the seismic profile. This symbolizes a major development in the study of marine sediments. Develop this technology