Science Lab sudoku

Sudoku is a classic logic puzzle with variations appearing in French newspapers as far back as the 19th century. The most common template of a Sudoku is a 9-by-9 grid with 3-by-3 regions. Numbers 1 through 9 are displayed in select squares, with other squares left empty. The person completing the puzzle is challenged to fill in an empty square with a number that does not already appear across the 9-square row, the 9-square column, or within the 3-by-3 region. Sudoku puzzles are constructed so that there is a solution, where all of the numbers are in their correct position and do not violate the rules of the game.

For this version of scientific ocean drilling Sudoku, instead of using the numbers 1 through 9, there are nine different areas of scientific research featured in the puzzle. Note that these are not all the laboratory techniques and areas of data collection carried out on JOIDES Resolution – these are just select examples. The nine categories of research include: micropaleontology, geochemistry, microbiology, paleomagnetics, physical properties, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphic correlation, and downhole logging. The images used for each of these squares are show in this animated GIF.