Deepest Man Hole
So here we have something that would surely intrigue anyone with a curious mind. This is located on an obscure peninsula in north-west Russia. Here several scientists have spent many years trying to drill down and get to the center of the earth. If you are wondering how deep they have gone, well, this is about 40,000 feet deep and their borehole is the deepest that we as humans have even gone. We all know that we as humans are very curious beings. We wish to learn more and know more about everything and anything. This trait in each and every one of us is the reason modern technology has become what it is today. And ever since the first artificial satellite had been sent into space in 1957, humans have always been filled with the need to discover the secrets of the stars.
Going Deep
This group of scientists was on the quest to find out what actually lies on the core of this place we all call home. This stretch goes as far as about 30 miles towards the center of our planet and the dense shell eventually gives way to the mantle. This, as we all know, is the mysterious inner layer that takes up a staggering 40 percent of this planet’s total mass.
As Deep As Possible
So the team started their work on the sparsely populated region on Russia’s Kola Peninsula. They were set on following through and getting over any obstacle that might come their way. Their goal was a very simple one: to penetrate as far as possible into the planet’s crust. There has been a lot of speculations and assumptions as to what lies on the core of the earth, so what would ever would they discover?
Hotter Than Expected
Since the team was able to work around and assess the possible problems that could rise up with the borehole until then, they were expecting to be able to get further down. But after 10,000 feet, there was a huge obstacle that needed to be fixed. The drilling team was getting very close to reaching their target but soon realized that the hole had heated up to about 180 °C (356 °F) – which was 80 °C (176 °F) hotter than expected.
22 Years Later
The issues were piling up and since the conditions were clearly not under their control, the team needed a better strategy. After further research was done, the team realized that their equipment was not going to last under these harsh conditions. So the the team at Kola had no other option but to again abandon this project. So it was already 1992 that time– 22 years since the drilling first took place. It had already been over a decade since the journey to the center of the earth began!