In China, with the aim of studying the heart of the earth’s crust, scientists began this week one of the deepest boreholes in the world, more than 10 kilometers deep. The work will last a little less than a year and a half and reach rocks 145 million years old.
Do you remember Jules Vernes’ novel, “Journey to the Center of the Earth”? In this adventure novel published in 1864, a professor, his nephew and a guide undertake a daring journey by digging a hole to reach the center of our planet. Well, science fiction is about to become reality in China, where scientists this week started one of the deepest boreholes in the world, more than 10 kilometers deep, to study the heart of the Earth’s crust.
An 82 meter high drilling rig
The drilling rig that started drilling through the Taklamakan Desert in northwest China this week is a monster of steel. It is 82 meters high. The work will last a little less than a year and a half and reach rocks 145 million years old. “This operation at a depth of 10,000 meters will open new areas of research for us by giving valuable and rare information on the evolution of the earth. It will help us to better understand the evolution of this region and even of the whole of China”, details Hao Fang, one of the scientists in charge of the project.
This involves identifying mineral resources and especially finding oil, but also assessing the risks of natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The deepest man-made hole so far was the Russian Kola borehole which reached a depth of 12,262 meters in 1989 after 20 years of drilling.
Source: Europe1
I have been working as a journalist for over 10 years. In that time, I have covered the news from all corners of the world, and written about everything from politics to business.I’m now a full-time author, and my work can be found at Global happenings. My aim is to bring you up-to-date news and views on global affairs, in a format that is easy to read and understand.
