Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn deposits from DSDP Leg 30 (Holes 286, 288A)

The 286 site is located in the gap between the North and South New Hebrides trenches near the foot of the slope down from Malekula (100 km west of the island) and 370 km north of Mare in the Loyalty Island. The main objectives at the site were: 1) To determine when detritus was first shed into this basin from Malekula and thereby determine when the trench was destroyed and whether the island has moved into its present position in relatively recent time. 2) To determine the time of generation of the sea floor and compare it with that of the South Fiji Basin The Ontong-Java Plateau is underlain by a region of unusual oceanic crust that has an estimated maximum thickness of 40 km. Site 288 was located on the eastern flank of the plateau with the hope that the nature of the basement of the plateau could be determined.