History | Technology | Science
Drilling the Deepest Hole in The World Was Extremely Hard
The story of the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia.
The Soviets were never subtle with their goals.
They wanted to dig through the mantle of the Earth — which constitutes 40% of the Earth’s mass.
The initiative began in the 1960s and was done in parallel with the space race. The broader goal was to eventually drill 6730 km to the Earth’s core. This mega hole was dubbed the Kola Borehole.
The journey would be cut short by colossal challenges — but still delivered unexpected results.
How the race unfolded
The project began in 1970 on the Kola Peninsula, a harsh, arctic region with dwindling populations.
The hole started with one 7-inch wide pipe but eventually totaled three holes.
The additional holes weren’t there by design. Years into the project, the team was hit by a setback of epic proportions: a 2-mile drilling pipe broke off and fell a half mile deep into the borehole.
