The sample recovery effors of the Famous area project and shipboard dredging of the Oceanographer fracture zone have yielded a variety of fresh basalt samples which can be placed petrographically into four grous. These are (1) olivine basalts, (2) plagioclase basalts, (3) plagioclase-olivine basalts, and (4) pyroxene basalts. Measurements of the compressional wave velocity as a function of pressure indicate that there is no correlation of velocity with mineralogy for the 24 samples at pressures equivalent to that for layer 2 of the oceanic crust. Rather, variations in porosity and in the pore and crack geometry play a more significant part in governing the measured velocities, masking the effect of both a varying mineralogy and a varying density. The velocities nonetheless are generally greater than those reported for layers 2A and 2B. It is proposed that the layer 2A velocity is low as a consequence of the disruption of the volcanic extrusives which compose the layer. The model is consistent with the recent synthesis of sonobuoy data by Houtz and Ewing which shows that the velocity of layer 2A is low at the ridge axis and increases with distance until the crust is about 40 m.y. in age, where the velocities of layers 2A and 2B tend to merge. Thereafter the velocity of this lyaer appears to remain rather constant.