Have you read the classic Jules Verne novel entitled “Journey to the Center of the Earth?” The science fiction novel definitely made our imagination run wild. But have you ever wondered what really is in the center of the earth?
Source: Maternity Week
In a remote peninsula somewhere in Russia, a group of scientists has spent decades drilling down the ground to reach the center of the earth. But after decades of hard work, the team made a discovery that forced them to stop digging deeper.
It was a race
The ambitious goal to dig towards the center of the earth started with a competition between the USA and the USSR to conquer the subterranean world. We all know the space race between the two nations to conquer outer space but little was known about another race to dig as far into the Earth’s crust as they possibly could.
Source: Maternity Week
You may think that dirt and rocks are not that compelling compared to the mystery of the cosmos but the Earth’s crust leads the way to the mantle – the mysterious inner layer that makes up 40% of Earth’s mass. What could that 40% be made of?
Project Mohole
In 1957, the US team took the lead in the digging race as they started Project Mohole. The project’s mission was to get a sample of the Earth’s mantle by drilling to the bottom of the ocean in an area off Guadalupe Island, Mexico. The team of engineers were able to drill through the bed of the Pacific Ocean as they were able to reach a depth of 601 feet.
Source: Maternity Week
Project Mohole was funded by the National Science Foundation. However, 8 years into the project, the funding was cut off by the US House of Representatives. Despite starting first, the Americans never got to the mantle.
Kola project
It took a while for the USSR team to start their project. In fact, it was not until May 24, 1970, that the Russians started drilling toward the center of the Earth. They started drilling in the Pechengsky District, a low-populated area in the Kola Peninsula, Russia.
Source: Maternity Week
The Russian team had a simple goal – to dig as far as possible into the Earth’s crust. Of course, they aimed to go further than the 600 feet that the American team achieved. In fact, the goal was a minimum of 49,000 feet.
Specialized equipment
The Russian team used specialist equipment in their project. Drilling was done using the Uralmash-4E, which was a serial drilling rig used to drill oil wells. This rig was modified a bit to be able to reach a depth of 7,000 meters.
Source: ResearchGate
Throughout the project, the Soviet team developed instruments that would help them take direct physical measurements at the bottom of the borehole. Because of this, they had greater measurement integrity. In 1974, the team upgraded to an Uralmash-15000.