Humans have been to the moon and explored almost every corner of the planet – but there's one place they have never been. An international group of scientists say they plan to
be the first group to drill successfully into the
Earth's mantle, the planet's interior, which lies just beneath the outer crust.
What would happen if we dug to the mantle?
No. Even if engineers were to drill directly into a reservoir of molten magma, a
volcanic eruption would
be extremely unlikely. For one thing, drill holes are too narrow to transmit the explosive force of a volcanic eruption.
Can humans reach the mantle?
If Japanese support can be combined with other funding, Teagle says they could start drilling before the end of the decade, making it possible for humans to finally reach the Earth's
mantle by the early 2020s
.
Can we drill down to the mantle?
Since the 1960s,
researchers have attempted to drill into Earth's mantle
but have not yet met with success. Some efforts failed due to technical problems; others have fallen prey to various sorts of bad luck—including, as discovered after the fact, picking inopportune spots to drill.
Can humans dig to the center of Earth?
Humans have drilled
over 12 kilometers (7.67 miles)
in the Sakhalin-I. In terms of depth below the surface, the Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 retains the world record at 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) in 1989 and still is the deepest artificial point on Earth.
Can you dig a hole to China?
To dig to China, you'd need to start your journey
from Chile or Argentina
— the location of China's antipode (or opposite point on Earth). You would need a super-powered drill to get through rock and metal within Earth's three layers. First, there's the Earth's crust.
Which country has the deepest man made hole?
Russia
holds the record for the deepest man-made hole in the world at more than 40,000 feet deep. That's 7.6 miles. No one has ever reached the Earth's mantle, although scientists have never given up trying to get to it.
What happens if you dig too deep in the Earth?
To make things more difficult, as they drill deeper into the Earth, they'll
encounter extreme temperatures
, possibly in excess of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius), and fantastic amounts of pressure — as much as 4 million pounds per square foot in the vicinity of the mantle.
How deep is it to the mantle?
Earth's mantle extends to a depth of
2,890 km
, making it the planet's thickest layer. The mantle is divided into upper and lower mantle separated by a transition zone. The lowest part of the mantle next to the core-mantle boundary is known as the D′′ (D-double-prime) layer.
Why can't you dig to the center of the Earth?
The surface of Earth is constantly spinning at more than 1,000 miles per hour. If you go deeper into the Earth, it's still moving all around you, but the mass inside doesn't have as far to travel. … The only way to make it work, would be
to dig the hole straight through Earth's poles
.
How hot is it 1 mile underground?
The temp gradient
Is Earth's core hotter than Sun?
The Earth's core same temperature as the surface of the sun
. It's a mystery that has puzzled generations of scientists: At the very center of our planet, within a liquid outer core
What would happen if we drilled to the Earth's core?
Your ‘down' trip would
have gravity increasing your speed every second as you are pulled
towards the core, propelling your way through Earth until you reached the center. Once there, gravity would begin acting as a buffer against you, making your ‘up' trip increasingly slower.
What is the farthest anyone has ever dug into the earth?
The Kola Superdeep Borehole was just 9 inches in diameter, but at
40,230 feet (12,262 meters)
reigns as the deepest hole. It took almost 20 years to reach that 7.5-mile depth—only half the distance or less to the mantle.
What is the deepest sinkhole in the world?
Xiaozhai Tiankeng
– the deepest sinkhole in the world (over 2,100 feet), located in Fenjie Count of Chongqing Municipality.
What does digging a hole to China mean?
It is used
when a hole is so deep that it is (humorously) supposed to be going to go right through the earth and come out the other side
.
