The Kola Superdeep Borehole is currently the deepest hole in the world ever dug by humans. The story of the dig took place dramatically, until finally the digger's drill was no longer working. What's the story?
The Kola Superdeep Borehole is located in Russia and is 12 kilometers deep. The project was initiated by the Soviet Union in 1970. At that time, the Soviet Union and the United States were not only competing for space, but also for the depths of the Earth.
All projects were closed in 2005 due to lack of funds. While the drilling and research equipment was destroyed, and the excavation site was abandoned since 2008. Now what remains there is the rusty iron covering the Kola Superdeeep Borehole, in the middle of an unkempt environment.
Quoted from Science, Monday (30/1/2023) the excavation process is dynamic. When drilling for the Kola Superdeep Borehole began in the 1970s, the drill penetrated granite rock with ease. But when the drillers reached a depth of about 6.9 kilometers, the layers became denser and more difficult to drill.
As a result, the drill bit broke and the team had to change the direction of drilling several times. The resulting drill pattern resembles a kind of Christmas tree.
The deeper the drill, the hotter the Earth. The temperature according to the predictions of scientists up to about 30 meters. But as they drilled deeper, the heat increased through 180 degrees Celsius in an area about 12 kilometers down. That's a drastic difference from the estimated temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.
As the digging team passed the first 14,800 feet of 4.5 kilometers, the rock became more plastic-like than solid, plus the high temperatures, made drilling nearly impossible.
Yes, the temperature inside the Earth is beyond the capabilities of drilling equipment. The Soviet Union continued advancing until 1992, but never reached a depth of more than 12 kilometers. The drillers had no choice but to stop the effort, falling short of the target of 15 kilometers.
After the Kola Superdeep Borehole, other attempts were made over the years by other countries including Germany, Austria and Sweden. Neither of these holes is deeper than the Kola Superdeep Borehole, although one is longer, because it veers off its vertical course.
