The deepest man-made hole on earth can be found in remote North-West Russia. It is better known as a borehole that is over 40 000 feet deep — a feat which has never been done anywhere else in the world. Drilling steadily towards the center of the earth, the scientists responsible eventually made a startling discovery that changed everything overnight. It would eventually also result in the historical hole being sealed and left alone completely to this very day. So why did this happen, exactly?
Why The Deepest Human Made Hole In History Was Totally Abandoned
What Lies Beneath
From the days of the first satellite orbiting the earth in 1957, all the way through the modern missions to reach Mars, there is what some might even call an infatuation with discovering whether something exists outside our own realm of being. And while human beings are naturally curious about the world around them, and the study of space has existed for years, some scientists bring their curiosity back to this realm and take it to a whole new level by studying what goes on underneath the surface of our planet itself.
What Lies Beneath
Expanding Our Understanding
Thanks to modern technology, we’re much closer to understanding space and other planets too. Some even suggest that we have more knowledge about space than we do about the core of our own planet Earth! Nowadays, although a lot of people are still aware of the ‘race to space’ between the U.S.S.R. and the United States during the Cold War, there are not many who remember or are even aware of, the similarly captivating race into the depths of our subterranean planet.
Expanding Our Understanding
Getting To The Earth’s Core
The 1950’s were not only characterized by the Space Race, there was a less public battle going on too. US and Soviet scientists were starting a new set of experiments to find out if it would be possible to penetrate and study the crust of the earth. Experts estimated that the crust was about 30 miles down towards the center of the planet. The dense shell, which is the crust, eventually becomes the mantle, a mysterious inner layer that amazingly makes up for a whopping 40 percent of the mass of our entire planet.
Getting To The Earths Core
Project Mohole
In 1958, America leaped forward in the race to reach the Earth’s crust thanks to “Project Mohole” in Mexico. This project allowed engineers to drill through the bed of the pacific ocean of around 600 feet. It started out as a highly ambitious undertaking, but eight years later a funding cut meant the project was abandoned, and it seemed like the Americans were out of the global race to reach the mantle.
Project Mohole
Russia Takes The Gap
The Soviets were next to try to reach the mantle, and in May of 1970, a team of scientists started a project attempting to do the same as its American counterpart, albeit with hopes of achieving better results. Drilling in the Pechengsky District began right away, and rather than just reaching the mantle, the project hoped to penetrate as far as possible down towards the crust of the earth, in order to learn more about it.
Russia Takes The Gap
49,000 Feet Below
These researchers envisioned drilling as far down as 49 000 feet under the surface of the Earth. The ambitious undertaking would require specialist equipment, and digging a series of boreholes to give them the best chance of finding success with more than one cavity. Although everybody thought the Russians would be the firsts to get there, as the history books show, the Americans hadn’t given up completely at that stage and were planning on a new strategy to get them across the finish line.
49,000 Feet Below
A Surprising Competitor
Lone Star Producing Company might not sound like a very technical and scientific name for a company about to achieve an incredible feat, but it would be on an oil drilling mission in Washita County in Oklahoma that they would do so rather unwittingly. While drilling, they ended up making what was eventually called the “Bertha Rogers hole”, which reached a staggering 31,400 feet below the earth’s surface. They broke a record without even meaning to!
A Surprising Competitor
No Oil, But A Record Nevertheless
It turns out the Lone Star never managed to find any oil in the region, so the hole was eventually abandoned. So while they never found what they were looking for, they did set a new record for the deepest hole on Earth, a record it held for the next five years. In June 1979, one of the boreholes in the Kola Peninsula (referred to as SG-3) took over the lead with a new record, and by 1983 the record reached further highs with astronomical new depths. It is difficult to get one’s head around, but try and imagine how quite wonderous a whole that is only nine inches wide, going an incredible 39,000 feet through the crust of Earth!
No Oil But A Record Nevertheless
Scientists Collect What They Can
At this stage, drilling in the area halted, so scientists could study their new findings. For a whole year, there was no more drilling on the borehole while people from all over the world and the field visited the site to garner information about such never before seen parts of our planet. They did not expect, however, that when they would attempt to begin work again, they would be faced with a technical problem that would sabotage everything.
American Scientists Collect What They Can
Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way
Undeterred, the scientists decided that they didn’t need to wait on this specific borehole to make further progress. They started over in a new location. Luckily, they didn’t need to start again from zero, and began drilling from a depth of 23,000 feet. By 1989, they had reached a new record having drilled a staggering 40,230 feet, or 7.5 miles! This was extremely encouraging progress for those involved and the researchers were confident they could surpass 44,000 feet by the second half of the 1990s.
Where There’s A Will There’s A Way
Edging Closer To 50,000 Feet
Experts predicted that their borehole would reach their original target depth of 49,000 feet even as soon as in 1993. Little did they know that there was a surprise waiting for them as they continued their work. Something unexpected was happening as the drill got further and further beneath the remote Russian tundra and closer and closer to the Earth’s center, totally twisting the plot and changing the plan.
Edging Closer To 50,000 Feet
The Temperature Discrepancy
Temperatures had been roughly what the scientists had expected and had been stable inside the borehole for the first 10,000 or so feet. Surprisingly, however, past that depth, the temperature shot up to unexpected levels at a very quick rate. Inching closer to their target, the hole was suddenly a full 176 °F (80 °C) hotter than anticipated, meaning it had shot up to 356 °F (180°C) in no time at all. And there was more to it too…
The Temperature Discrepancy
Throwing in the Towel
The project was also hindered by the discovery that the rock foundations were far less dense than had been anticipated at these depths. The two newly discovered factors combined – of the density of the rock and the soaring temperatures – meant that the researchers knew that their equipment would have no chance surviving such conditions. It was 1992, 22 whole years since the drilling had begun at Kola, but the team had no choice but to abandon the project.
Throwing in the Towel
Sealing The Kola Borehole
Even though the project dubbed the Kola Superdeep Borehole had been forced to shut down its operations due to limitations of knowledge and equipment, that doesn’t mean the researchers didn’t make sure to collect as much data as they possibly could before it was sealed up. One example is a discovery of tiny marine plant fossils, about four miles deep into the borehole. Any archeologist would call these fossils a rare sight, and researchers were stunned that they had been entombed in the rock estimated to be billions of years old at the time.
Sealing The Kola Borehole
Further Discoveries
Fossils aside, there were other discoveries that got scientists even more excited. Unlike the fossils mentioned before, this discovery was made at the farthest reaches of the hole. Using apparatus to study seismic waves, it had been predicted that the rock beneath the ground turns from granite to basalt just two to four miles beneath the surface. In this particular area, however, this was found not to be the case. What other secrets would be revealed by the Kola Superdeep Borehole?
Further Discoveries
Under Earth River?
In this particular borehole, scientists only found granite, and no basalt, even as far down as the base of the hole. Researchers deduced that the change in seismic waves might suggest different entirely than the move from granite to basalt, and in fact found that it was the result of metamorphic differences in the rock. In doing more tests, they soon found something even more astounding. Where no one had previously thought possible, so far beneath the depths of the Earth, they found flowing water.
Under Earth River
A Biblical Explanation
Many enthusiastic believers immediately argued that the discovery of subterranean water was evidence of biblical floods. Scientists had a more pragmatic theory. It was suggested that the intense pressure that forces hydrogen and oxygen atoms out of the rock itself is what creates the phenomenon of the water coming from the rock. Then, impermeable rocks block the newly formed water, keeping it trapped beneath the surface. Needless to say, everyone was in awe when this was discovered.
A Biblical Explanation
The Soviet Union Falls
As the Kola borehole closing coincided with the Soviet Union collapsing, and by 1995 everything came to a permanent halt. The site exists to this very day, although it is flagged as an environmental hazard. Tourists are welcome to visit the nearby town of Zapolyarny, roughly six miles away from the site, to see some relics from the experiment. Until today, the Kola Superdeep Borehole remains the deepest man-made point of entry to the core of Earth, no one has beat their record since!
The Soviet Union Falls
The Race Is Far From Over
That’s not to say that the race to get closer to the Earth’s core has been abandoned altogether. The International Ocean Discovery Program is leading the way in terms of finding out what lurks far beneath the ocean floor. Their teams are proud to brave the elements and to do what they can in order to find out exactly what else we can learn about the earth from what lurks below where our eyes can see.
The Race Is Far From Over
A Different Kind Of Mission
If only all missions below water were to get closer to finding out more of the secrets of the earth. Some researchers are merely interested in venturing to an area where nobody else has gone before. Take the instance of a two-man submersible dropped into Antarctic waters, for example. With this mission, the goal was to venture into an area of the South Pole that had never been seen previously. They ended up discovering far more than they initially bargained for.
A Different Kind Of Mission
A Long Time In The Making
While it might seem like this would be relatively simple to execute, the idea didn’t come together overnight. Twenty four months of research and planning was involved in what became known as a gargantuan team effort. They wanted to venture into new waters, but also find out as much as possible about the things that can be found on the ocean floor. Some experts suggest that we know more about the other planets in our solar system than about what goes down below in our oceans.
A Long Time In The Making
The Distances Don’t Add Up
To give you some context, it might help to know that we know more about the surface of Mars, which is over 140 000 000 miles from our planet, than we do about the depth of the ocean, which goes roughly two miles down. Over the years, funding has been more readily available for projects involving habitats beyond our planet, than they have been for what is actually happening back on our home planet. Humans are curious about if there is anything out there, of course.
The Distances Dont Add Up
The Challenges Of Antarctic Diving
That’s not to say that humans haven’t tried to find out more about what’s happening below the surface of our oceans. One major hindrance is that diving in the Antarctic, for instance, is very difficult. It’s not easy to find the right place to descend from, and the weather always plays an important role in the efficiency and safety of the project. For this particular diving mission, an area called the “Iceberg Alley” was chosen with good reason.
The Challenges Of Antarctic Diving
Why Iceberg Alley Was Ideal
The region was ideal for this expedition because it is near one of the northernmost points in the Antarctic region. It is known for having many chunks of shifting ice, making it a bit easier for the boat carrying the submersible to pass through and eventually dock. All of these factors played an important role in the research phase of the project, and without being thorough, the team might have faced even more challenges than anticipated.
Why Iceberg Alley Was Ideal
Documenting The Journey
This incredible voyage was recorded by documentary producer James Honeyborne, who talked about the challenges of getting through “Iceberg Alley”. He referenced the trek as akin to playing a game of ‘Space Invaders’, mentioning that there were more than just a handful of snags between the time they set sail, and when they eventually docked in a spot they were satisfied with. This is typically the case on any maiden voyage into the great unknown.
Documenting The Journey
Doubting The Submarines
Even before they arrived, the team had their doubts about how their submarines were going to hold up in the deep waters of the Antarctic. As they began descending into the depths of the ocean, it soon became clear that the equipment would be able to handle the mission. The team breathed a heavy sigh of relief once this was evident. Soon after, they were looking at an incredible ecosystem of creatures nobody had ever seen before.
Doubting The Submarines
Life Above vs. Life Below Water
Anybody that has visited Antarctica will know that living above the surface of the water can be nearly impossible for any hot-blooded mammal. Ironically, below the water seemed to offer a far more stable space for other creatures to flourish. Astonishingly enough, one of the members of the dive team expressed that there was more marine life in this area, than they had seen in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia for quite some time.
Life Above Vs Life Below Water
The Difference In Marine Snow
One peculiar difference that researchers were quick to observe was that the marine snow in the region seemed to be thicker than anywhere else on earth. This vital component to the ocean floor plays an important part in the overall thriving and surviving of life under the sea, and the difference in thickness provides a deeper insight into how marine life in the area has been going about their business on a day-to-day basis.
The Difference In Marine Snow
The Transfer of Nutrients and Energy
In a nutshell, marine snow refers to organic material that makes its way from the top half of the ocean all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. This is a source of food for millions of creatures who live underwater, and often involves a transfer of nutrients from one plant species to another. It can be a great source of energy, especially in a region like Antarctica, which doesn’t get much sunlight during the course of the year.
The Transfer Of Nutrients And Energy
Krill The Crustacean
Marine snow is not the only source of food in the depths of the icy Antarctic. Krill are tiny crustaceans that can be seen in oceans all over the world, and their faeces play an important role in the overall balancing of local ecosystems. The excrement turns the seafloor into a muddy habitat where life can flourish. Often, this life includes some of the most bizarre-looking creatures to have crossed paths with humans.
Krill The Crustacean
The Antarctic Sunstar
While it might have a beautiful name, the Antarctic Sunstar is one of these peculiar creatures that are little known around the world. After discovering some of the species on this expedition, researchers decided to call it the “Death Star”, mostly because it is a more violent version of its more famous cousin, the starfish. Who would have thought that there would be different variants of starfish out in the world after all?
The Antarctic Sunstar
Size and Length
As it turns out, the Sunstar is quite unlike it’s common relative. It can have as many as fifty different arms, and grow to a size of a standard car wheel. It’s skin is full of small pincers, evolved to shut and trap anything that touches them. Krill don’t stand much of a chance when coming into contact with one of these, and often the Sunstar is mistaken for what the average person would call a fairly unaggressive octopus.
Size And Length
The Vast Nature Of Marine Life
While Sunstars aren’t exactly welcoming, they do provide a curious insight into just how different certain species can be in various parts around the world. Conditions in Antarctica mean that species are forced to evolve or die. This is backed up by the fact that so few fish can actually survive in these harsh and icy conditions. Unlike a common starfish in warmer conditions, the sunstar is high up on the food change in this particular region.
The Vast Nature Of Marine Life
Life Before Mankind
Some researches on this expedition suggested that diving into the depths of the isolated Antarctic is a little like getting a glimpse into what life might have been like before humans were around. This particular dive showed a vast amount of species that don’t have any backbones, for instance. As science now shows us, these types were fairly common around the world, often as dominating predators millions and millions of years ago.
Life Before Mankind
The Ice Dragonfish
The sunstar is not the only bizarre creature lurking in the depths of the Antarctic. The ice dragonfish is a prime example of a creature adapting to survive in harsh conditions. This species is made up of blood that contains proteins which act like antifreeze all year round. The blood is clear in color, and doesn’t need any kind of oxygen to be carried to various parts of the body. If humans could do this, they could survive underwater too.
The Ice Dragonfish
Assisting Ongoing Conservation Efforts
In this particular mission, Dr. Copley and his team were not just after venturing into the unknown and discovering all kinds of new species. They wanted their research to help further conservation efforts around the world, and to offer insight into the steps we might take to better take care of the planet moving deeper into the 21st century. The team gathered a lot of data, which will be useful for many years to come.
Assisting Ongoing Conservation Efforts
Understanding The Species Better
While being interviewed for the documentary, Dr. Copley talked about how watching these species in their natural habitat could help to gain a better understanding of them, and the techniques they had used to survive in the harshest of conditions. He reiterated that from a research perspective, a lot more can be gained by watching them in their daily lives, rather than collecting them with a net and studying that.
Understanding The Species Better
The Eternal Mystery of the Ocean
Astonishingly, even the most explored parts of the oceans around the world still remain somewhat of a mystery to us humans. This expedition tried to shed light on one area, and the team hoped that their findings would be able to be used in studies in other regions as well. The mission helps to send a message that thanks to modern technology, the world is more accessible to us now than it has ever been before in history.
The Eternal Mystery Of The Ocean
The Profoundness Of The World
Besides just giving us scientific insights, and offering a greater understanding of other species that cohabitate on the earth with us, these types of missions also have an effect on the way we see the profound world around us. The sheer scale of the earth can be difficult to comprehend from where you are now, but missions like these show us that there is so much to be seen and explored around us. This exploration not only makes us smarter and more informed, but also reminds us that we don’t own the earth, and that we are simply trusted custodians for the time being.
The Profoundness Of The World