Kola Superdeep Borehole: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description| |
{{Short description|Borehole in Russia; the deepest human-made hole on Earth}} |
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{{Redirect|Kola Superdeep|the Russian horror film|The Superdeep{{!}}''The Superdeep''}} |
{{Redirect|Kola Superdeep|the Russian horror film|The Superdeep{{!}}''The Superdeep''}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} |
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| greatest depth = {{convert|12262|m|ft}} |
| greatest depth = {{convert|12262|m|ft}} |
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| opening year = 1965 |
| opening year = 1965 |
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| active years = {{hlist|1970–1983|1984|1985–1992}} |
| active years = {{hlist|1970–1983|1984|1985–1992|1994}} |
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| closing year = 1995 |
| closing year = 1995 |
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| owner = |
| owner = |
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The '''Kola Superdeep Borehole''' ({{lang-ru|Кольская сверхглубокая скважина|translit=Kol'skaya sverkhglubokaya skvazhina |
The '''Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3''' ({{lang-ru|Кольская сверхглубокая скважина СГ-3|translit=Kol'skaya sverkhglubokaya skvazhina SG-3}}) is the [[Extremes on Earth#Lowest artificial points|deepest human-made hole]] on Earth, which attained maximum [[true vertical depth]] of {{convert|12262|m|ft mi}} in 1989.<ref name=SmithMag-2015-02-19>{{cite magazine |title=What's the deepest hole ever dug? |date=19 February 2015 |department=Ask Smithsonian |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |place=Washington, DC |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-whats-deepest-hole-ever-dug-180954349 |last=Ault |first=Alicia}}</ref> It is the result of a [[scientific drilling]] effort to penetrate as deep as possible into the [[Earth's crust]] conducted by the [[Soviet Union]] in the [[Pechengsky District]] of the [[Kola Peninsula]], near the Russian border with Norway. |
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SG (СГ) is a Russian designation for superdeep (сверхглубокая) |
SG (СГ) is a Russian designation for a set of superdeep ({{lang-ru|сверхглубокая}}) boreholes conceived as part of a Soviet scientific research programme of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Aralsor SG-1 (in the Pre-Caspian Basin of west [[Kazakhstan]]) and Biyikzhal SG-2 (in [[Krasnodar Krai]]), both less than {{convert|6810|m|ft}} deep, preceded Kola SG-3, which was originally intended to reach {{convert|7000|m|ft}} deep.<ref name="Alekseyev_et_al_1972">{{cite journal | title=Initial results of geophysical and geochemical investigations of very deep boreholes | first1=F.A. | last1=Alekseyev | first2=N.K. | last2=Kukharenko | first3=G.I. | last3= Voytov | first4=Yu.A. | last4=Galkin | journal=International Geology Review | year=1972 | volume=14 | issue=3 | pages=275–280 | doi=10.1080/00206817209475693}}</ref> Drilling at Kola SG-3 began in 1970 using the ''[[Uralmash]]-4E'', and later the ''Uralmash-15000'' series drilling rig. A total of five {{convert|9|in|cm|order=flip|adj=mid|-diameter}} [[borehole]]s were drilled, two branching from a central shaft and two off of one of those branches. |
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In addition to being the deepest human-made hole on Earth, Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 was, for almost three decades, the world's longest borehole in [[measured depth]] along its bore, until surpassed in 2008 by a [[Extraction of petroleum|hydrocarbon extraction]] borehole in [[Qatar]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sakhalin-1 project drills world's longest extended-reach well |date=29 Jan 2011 |agency=[[BusinessWire]] |website=Ordons News |url=https://www.ordons.com/asia/far-east/9976-sakhalin-1-project-drills-worlds-longest-extended-reach-well.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131190440/http://www.ordons.com/asia/far-east/9976-sakhalin-1-project-drills-worlds-longest-extended-reach-well.html |archive-date=31 January 2011}}</ref> |
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==Drilling== |
==Drilling== |
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[[File:1987 CPA 5892.jpg|thumb|upright|Kola Superdeep Borehole, commemorated on a 1987 USSR stamp]] |
[[File:1987 CPA 5892.jpg|thumb|upright|Kola Superdeep Borehole, commemorated on a 1987 USSR stamp]] |
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Drilling began on 24 |
Drilling at Kola SG-3 began on 24 May 1970 using the [[Uralmash]]-4E, a serial drilling rig used for drilling [[oil well]]s. The rig was slightly modified to be able to reach a {{convert|7000|m|ft|adj=on}} depth. In 1974, the new purpose-built Uralmash-15000 drilling rig was installed onsite, named after the new target depth, set at {{convert|15000|m|ft}}.<ref name=Королев-2016-08-06>{{cite web |last=Королев |first=Владимир |date=2016-08-06 |title=Подземное неземное |website=nplus1.ru |url=https://nplus1.ru/material/2016/08/06/Kola-Superdeep-Borehole |access-date=2021-08-08}}</ref> |
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On 6 June 1979, the world depth record held by the [[Bertha Rogers]] hole in [[Washita County, Oklahoma]], United States, at {{convert|9583|m|ft}},<ref>{{cite news |title=The KTB borehole – Germany's superdeep telescope into the Earth's crust |date=January 1995 |website=Oilfield Review |url=http://www.slb.com/media/services/resources/oilfieldreview/ors95/jan95/01950422.pdf |access-date=8 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219150858/http://www.slb.com/media/services/resources/oilfieldreview/ors95/jan95/01950422.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008}}</ref> was broken. In October 1982, |
On 6 June 1979, the world depth record then held by the [[Bertha Rogers]] hole in [[Washita County, Oklahoma]], United States, at {{convert|9583|m|ft}},<ref>{{cite news |title=The KTB borehole – Germany's superdeep telescope into the Earth's crust |date=January 1995 |website=Oilfield Review |url=http://www.slb.com/media/services/resources/oilfieldreview/ors95/jan95/01950422.pdf |access-date=8 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219150858/http://www.slb.com/media/services/resources/oilfieldreview/ors95/jan95/01950422.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008}}</ref> was broken by Kola SG-3. In October 1982, Kola SG-3's first hole reached {{convert|11662|m|ft}}.<ref name=Яковлев-Скуфьин-Чвыков-2014>{{cite periodical |last1=Яковлев |first1=Ю.Н. |last2=Скуфьин |first2=П.К. |last3=Чвыков |first3=О.С.Ч. |year=2014 |title=Влияние Природных Факторов на Траекторию и Форму Стволов Кольской Сверхглубокой Скважины (СГ-3) |periodical=Вестник Кольского научного центра РАН |volume=2014-03 |pages=8–15 |url=https://www.ksc.ru/docs/vestnik/vestnik-3-2014.pdf |lang=ru}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The second hole was started in January 1983 from a {{convert|9300|m|ft|adj=on}} depth of the first hole.<ref name=Королев-2016-08-06/> In 1983, the drill passed {{convert|12000|m|ft}} in the second hole, and drilling was stopped for about a year for numerous scientific and celebratory visits to the site.<ref name="NiZ" /> This idle period may have contributed to a breakdown after drilling resumed; on 27 September 1984, after drilling to {{convert|12066|m|ft}}, a {{convert|5|m|ft|adj=on}} section of the [[drill string]] twisted off and was left in the hole. Drilling was restarted in September 1986, {{convert|7000|m|ft}} from the first hole.<ref name="NiZ">{{cite web |author=Osadchy, A. |date=2002 |title=Legendary Kola Superdeep |website=Наука и жизнь [Journal of Science and Life] |language=ru |volume=5 |url=http://www.nkj.ru/archive/articles/4172/ |access-date=8 May 2009}}</ref><ref name=Яковлев-Скуфьин-Чвыков-2014/> |
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In 1983, the drill passed {{convert|12000|m|ft}} in the second hole, and drilling was stopped for about a year for numerous scientific and celebratory visits to the site.<ref name="NiZ" /> |
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| ⚫ | The third hole reached {{convert|12262|m|ft}} in 1989.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-06-01 |title=Why Is China Drilling a 33,000-Feet Hole in Xinjiang? |url=https://time.com/6284032/china-drill-hole-xinjiang/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> In that year, the hole depth was expected to reach {{convert|13500|m|ft}} by the end of 1990 and {{convert|15000|m|ft}} by 1993.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kola Superdeep is in the Guinness Book of World Records |periodical=Zemlya I Vselennaya |year=1989 |number=3 |page=9 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Adam |last1=Cassino |year=2003 |title=Depth of the deepest drilling |website=hypertextbook.com |series=The Physics Factbook |url=http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/AdamCassino.shtml}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2021}} In June 1990, a breakdown occurred in the third hole at {{convert|12262|m|ft}} of depth. |
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| ⚫ | This idle period may have contributed to a breakdown after drilling resumed; on 27 September 1984, after drilling to {{convert|12066|m|ft}}, a {{convert|5|m|ft|adj= |
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The drilling of the fourth hole was started in January 1991 from {{convert|9653|m|ft}} of depth of third hole. The drilling of the fourth hole was stopped in April 1992 at {{convert|11882|m|ft}} of depth. |
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| ⚫ | The third hole reached {{convert|12262|m|ft}} in 1989.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-06-01 |title=Why Is China Drilling a 33,000-Feet Hole in Xinjiang? |url=https://time.com/6284032/china-drill-hole-xinjiang/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> In that year, the hole depth was expected to reach {{convert|13500|m|ft}} by the end of 1990 and {{convert|15000|m|ft}} by 1993.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kola Superdeep is in the Guinness Book of World Records |periodical=Zemlya I Vselennaya |year=1989 |number=3 |page=9 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Adam |last1=Cassino |year=2003 |title=Depth of the deepest drilling |website=hypertextbook.com |series=The Physics Factbook |url=http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/AdamCassino.shtml}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2021}} |
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Drilling of the fifth hole started in April 1994 from {{convert|8278|m|ft}} of depth of the third hole. Drilling was stopped in August 1994 at {{convert|8578|m|ft}} of depth due to lack of funds and the well itself was [[wiktionary:mothball#Verb|mothballed]].<ref name=Яковлев-Скуфьин-Чвыков-2014/><ref name=Khokhlova-2008-10-15/> |
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==Research== |
==Research== |
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The stated areas of study of the Kola Superdeep Borehole were the deep structure of the Baltic Shield, [[seismic]] discontinuities and the thermal regime in the Earth's crust, the physical and chemical composition of the deep crust and the transition from upper to lower crust, [[lithospheric]] geophysics, and to create and develop technologies for deep geophysical study. Drilling penetrated about a third of the way through the |
The stated areas of study of the Kola Superdeep Borehole were the deep structure of the [[Baltic Shield]], [[seismic]] discontinuities and the thermal regime in the Earth's crust, the physical and chemical composition of the deep crust and the transition from upper to lower crust, [[lithospheric]] geophysics, and to create and develop technologies for deep geophysical study. Drilling penetrated about a third of the way through the Baltic Shield of the [[continental crust]], estimated to be around {{convert|35|km|mi}} deep, reaching [[Archean]] rocks at the bottom.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Ramberg, I.B. |author2=Bryhni, I. |author3=Nøttvedt, A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2008 |title=The Making of a Land: Geology of Norway |publisher=[[Geological Society]] |isbn=978-82-92394-42-7 |page=624 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rMVNE0F2SckC&pg=PA76 |access-date=27 January 2010}}</ref> Numerous unexpected [[geophysical]] discoveries were made: |
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* During the drilling process, the expected basaltic layers at |
* During the drilling process, the expected [[basaltic]] layers at {{convert|7|km|mi}} down were never found, nor were basaltic layers at any depth.<ref name="Andrei">{{Cite web |last=Andrei |first=Mihai |date=2014-06-03 |title=The World's Deepest Hole Lies Beneath this Rusty Metal Cap - The Kola Superdeep Borehole |url=https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/worlds-deepest-hole-lies-beneath-rusty-metal-cap-kola-superdeep-borehole/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=ZME Science |language=en-US}}</ref> There were instead more granites, deeper than predicted. The prediction of a transition at 7 kilometres was based on seismic waves indicating discontinuity, which could have been caused by a transition between rocks, or a metamorphic transition in the granite itself.<ref name="Andrei"/> |
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* Water pooled |
* Water pooled {{convert|3|-|6|km|mi}} below the surface,<ref name="Andrei"/><ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1995 |title=95/01953 Characterization of crystalline rocks in deep boreholes. The Kola, Krivoy Rog and Tyrnauz boreholes |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1 |journal=Fuel and Energy Abstracts |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=133 |doi=10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1 |issn=0140-6701}}</ref> having percolated up through the granite until it reached a layer of [[Permeability (fluid)|impermeable]] rock.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where is Earth's Water? {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/where-earths-water |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=www.usgs.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Bellows, Alan |date=5 March 2007 |title=The Deepest Hole |website=Damn Interesting |url=http://www.damninteresting.com/the-deepest-hole/ |access-date=27 December 2014}}</ref> This water did not naturally vaporize at any depth in the borehole.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1995 |title=95/01953 Characterization of crystalline rocks in deep boreholes. The Kola, Krivoy Rog and Tyrnauz boreholes |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1 |journal=Fuel and Energy Abstracts |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=133 |doi=10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1 |issn=0140-6701}}</ref> |
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* The [[drilling mud]] that flowed out of the hole was described as "boiling" with an unexpected level of [[hydrogen]] gas.<ref>{{cite conference|author=G. J. MacDonald|date=1988|title=Major Questions About Deep Continental Structures|book-title=Deep drilling in crystalline bedrock, v. 1| editor=A. Bodén and K. G. Eriksson|publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]]|location=Berlin|pages=28–48|isbn=978-3-540-18995-4}}</ref> |
* The [[drilling mud]] that flowed out of the hole was described as "boiling" with an unexpected level of [[hydrogen]] gas.<ref>{{cite conference|author=G. J. MacDonald|date=1988|title=Major Questions About Deep Continental Structures|book-title=Deep drilling in crystalline bedrock, v. 1| editor=A. Bodén and K. G. Eriksson|publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]]|location=Berlin|pages=28–48|isbn=978-3-540-18995-4}}</ref> |
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* Microscopic plankton fossils were found {{convert|6|km|mi |
* Microscopic plankton fossils were found {{convert|6|km|mi}} below the surface.<ref name=SmithMag-2015-02-19/> |
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In 1992, an international geophysical experiment obtained a reflection seismic crustal cross-section through the well. The Kola-92 working group consisted of researchers from the universities of [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]] and [[University of Edinburgh|Edinburgh]] in the United Kingdom, the [[University of Wyoming]] in the United States, and the [[University of Bergen]] in Norway, as well as several Russian earth science research institutions.<ref> |
In 1992, an international geophysical experiment obtained a reflection seismic crustal cross-section through the well. The Kola-92 working group consisted of researchers from the universities of [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]] and [[University of Edinburgh|Edinburgh]] in the United Kingdom, the [[University of Wyoming]] in the United States, and the [[University of Bergen]] in Norway, as well as several Russian earth science research institutions.<ref> |
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|archive-date=30 October 2012 |
|archive-date=30 October 2012 |
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}}</ref> |
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* In 2023, China embarked on a |
* In 2023, China embarked on a {{convert|10000|m|ft mi|adj=on}} super-deep borehole in the [[Tarim Basin#Geology|Tarim Basin]] in the [[Xinjiang]] region for scientific, oil and gas exploration.<ref name="Cheung2023">{{Cite web |title=China begins drilling one of world's deepest holes in hunt for discoveries deep inside the Earth |first=Rachel |last=Cheung |work=the Guardian |date=6 June 2023 |access-date=10 June 2023 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/china-begins-drilling-one-of-worlds-deepest-holes-in-hunt-for-discoveries-deep-inside-the-earth |quote=China has begun digging its deepest borehole in an effort to study areas of the planet deep beneath the surface. The drilling of the borehole began on Tuesday in a desert in the [[Tarim basin]] in China’s north-western region of [[Xinjiang]], according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency. With a planned depth of 11,100 metres, the narrow shaft will penetrate more than 10 continental strata and reach the cretaceous system in the Earth’s crust – a series of stratified rocks dating back 145 million years.}}</ref><ref name="Sharma2023">{{Cite web |title=China's 10,000-meter deep dive into scientific exploration |last=Sharma |first=Sejal |work=interestingengineering.com |date=31 May 2023 |access-date=10 June 2023 |url= https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/chinas-10000-meter-deep-dive-into-scientific-exploration}}</ref><ref name="SkyNews2023">{{Cite web |title=China drilling hole over 11,000m deep into the desert |author=Sky News |work=Sky News |date=2 June 2023 |access-date=10 June 2023 |url= https://news.sky.com/story/china-drilling-hole-over-11-000m-deep-into-the-desert-12894901}}</ref> In March 2024, drilling of the borehole, which is known as Shendi Take 1, reached a depth of 10,000 metres.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constructionkenya.com/11932/china-deepest-borehole/|title=China's Deepest Borehole Exceeds 10km Milestone|author= Albert Andeso|date=11 March 2024 |publisher=Construction Kenya|access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> |
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==Records== |
==Records== |
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The {{convert|12262|m|ft| |
The {{convert|12262|m|ft|adj=on}} deep Kola Superdeep Borehole has been the world's deepest borehole since 1979.<ref name=SmithMag-2015-02-19/><ref> |
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{{cite web |
{{cite web |
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|title=Kola Superdeep Borehole (KSDB) |
|title=Kola Superdeep Borehole (KSDB) |
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|archive-date=7 May 2014 |
|archive-date=7 May 2014 |
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</ref> Its record length was surpassed in May 2008 by the curved [[extended reach drilling]] bore of well BD-04A in the Al Shaheen Oil Field in Qatar, which attained a total length of {{convert|12289|m|ft}} |
</ref> It was also the longest borehole in the world from 1979 to 2008. Its record length was surpassed in May 2008 by the curved [[extended reach drilling]] bore of well BD-04A in the [[Al Shaheen Oil Field]] in Qatar, which attained a total length of {{convert|12289|m|ft}} but depth of just {{convert|1387|m|ft}}.<ref> |
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{{cite press release |
{{cite press release |
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|title=Transocean GSF rig 127 drills deepest extended-reach well |
|title=Transocean GSF rig 127 drills deepest extended-reach well |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
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* {{Cite book|last1=Fuchs|first1=K.|author2=Kozlovsky, E.A.|author3=Krivtsov, A.I.|author4=Zoback, M.D.|name-list-style=amp|title=Super-Deep Continental Drilling and Deep Geophysical Sounding|date=1990|publisher=[[Springer Verlag]]|location=Berlin|isbn=978-0-387-51609-7|page=436}} |
* {{Cite book|last1=Fuchs|first1=K.|author2=Kozlovsky, E.A.|author3=Krivtsov, A.I.|author4=Zoback, M.D.|name-list-style=amp|title=Super-Deep Continental Drilling and Deep Geophysical Sounding|date=1990|publisher=[[Springer Verlag]]|location=Berlin|isbn=978-0-387-51609-7|page=436}} |
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* {{Cite book|last1=Kozlovsky|first1=Ye.A|title=The Superdeep Well of the Kola Peninsula |
* {{Cite book|last1=Kozlovsky|first1=Ye.A|title=The Superdeep Well of the Kola Peninsula|date = 1987|publisher=Springer Verlag|location=Berlin|isbn=978-3-540-16416-6}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 14:17, 27 June 2024
 Superstructure of the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 2007 | |
| Standort | |
|---|---|
  Kola Superdeep Borehole Location of the borehole in Murmansk Oblast, Russia  Kola Superdeep Borehole Kola Superdeep Borehole (Murmansk Oblast) | |
| Standort | Pechengsky District |
| Province | Murmansk Oblast |
| Land | Russland |
| Coordinates | 69°23′47″N 30°36′36″E / 69.3965°N 30.6100°E |
| Production | |
| Typ | Scientific borehole |
| Greatest depth | 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Active |
|
| Closed | 1995 |
The Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 (Russian: Кольская сверхглубокая скважина СГ-3, romanized: Kol'skaya sverkhglubokaya skvazhina SG-3) is the deepest human-made hole on Earth, which attained maximum true vertical depth of 12,262 metres (40,230 ft; 7.619 mi) in 1989.[1] It is the result of a scientific drilling effort to penetrate as deep as possible into the Earth's crust conducted by the Soviet Union in the Pechengsky District of the Kola Peninsula, near the Russian border with Norway.
SG (СГ) is a Russian designation for a set of superdeep (Russian: сверхглубокая) boreholes conceived as part of a Soviet scientific research programme of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Aralsor SG-1 (in the Pre-Caspian Basin of west Kazakhstan) and Biyikzhal SG-2 (in Krasnodar Krai), both less than 6,810 metres (22,340 ft) deep, preceded Kola SG-3, which was originally intended to reach 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) deep.[2] Drilling at Kola SG-3 began in 1970 using the Uralmash-4E, and later the Uralmash-15000 series drilling rig. A total of five 23-centimetre-diameter (9 in) boreholes were drilled, two branching from a central shaft and two off of one of those branches.
In addition to being the deepest human-made hole on Earth, Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 was, for almost three decades, the world's longest borehole in measured depth along its bore, until surpassed in 2008 by a hydrocarbon extraction borehole in Qatar.[3]
Drilling
Drilling at Kola SG-3 began on 24 May 1970 using the Uralmash-4E, a serial drilling rig used for drilling oil wells. The rig was slightly modified to be able to reach a 7,000-metre (23,000 ft) depth. In 1974, the new purpose-built Uralmash-15000 drilling rig was installed onsite, named after the new target depth, set at 15,000 metres (49,000 ft).[4]
On 6 June 1979, the world depth record then held by the Bertha Rogers hole in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States, at 9,583 metres (31,440 ft),[5] was broken by Kola SG-3. In October 1982, Kola SG-3's first hole reached 11,662 metres (38,261 ft).[6]
The second hole was started in January 1983 from a 9,300-metre (30,500 ft) depth of the first hole.[4] In 1983, the drill passed 12,000 metres (39,000 ft) in the second hole, and drilling was stopped for about a year for numerous scientific and celebratory visits to the site.[7] This idle period may have contributed to a breakdown after drilling resumed; on 27 September 1984, after drilling to 12,066 metres (39,587 ft), a 5-metre (16 ft) section of the drill string twisted off and was left in the hole. Drilling was restarted in September 1986, 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) from the first hole.[7][6]
The third hole reached 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) in 1989.[8] In that year, the hole depth was expected to reach 13,500 metres (44,300 ft) by the end of 1990 and 15,000 metres (49,000 ft) by 1993.[9][10][failed verification] In June 1990, a breakdown occurred in the third hole at 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) of depth.
The drilling of the fourth hole was started in January 1991 from 9,653 metres (31,670 ft) of depth of third hole. The drilling of the fourth hole was stopped in April 1992 at 11,882 metres (38,983 ft) of depth.
Drilling of the fifth hole started in April 1994 from 8,278 metres (27,159 ft) of depth of the third hole. Drilling was stopped in August 1994 at 8,578 metres (28,143 ft) of depth due to lack of funds and the well itself was mothballed.[6][11]
Forschung
The stated areas of study of the Kola Superdeep Borehole were the deep structure of the Baltic Shield, seismic discontinuities and the thermal regime in the Earth's crust, the physical and chemical composition of the deep crust and the transition from upper to lower crust, lithospheric geophysics, and to create and develop technologies for deep geophysical study. Drilling penetrated about a third of the way through the Baltic Shield of the continental crust, estimated to be around 35 kilometres (22 mi) deep, reaching Archean rocks at the bottom.[12] Numerous unexpected geophysical discoveries were made:
- During the drilling process, the expected basaltic layers at 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) down were never found, nor were basaltic layers at any depth.[13] There were instead more granites, deeper than predicted. The prediction of a transition at 7 kilometres was based on seismic waves indicating discontinuity, which could have been caused by a transition between rocks, or a metamorphic transition in the granite itself.[13]
- Water pooled 3–6 kilometres (1.9–3.7 mi) below the surface,[13][14] having percolated up through the granite until it reached a layer of impermeable rock.[15][16] This water did not naturally vaporize at any depth in the borehole.[17]
- The drilling mud that flowed out of the hole was described as "boiling" with an unexpected level of hydrogen gas.[18]
- Microscopic plankton fossils were found 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) below the surface.[1]
In 1992, an international geophysical experiment obtained a reflection seismic crustal cross-section through the well. The Kola-92 working group consisted of researchers from the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, the University of Wyoming in the United States, and the University of Bergen in Norway, as well as several Russian earth science research institutions.[19] The experiment was documented in a video recorded by Professor David Smythe,[20] which shows the drilling deck in action during an attempt to recover a tool dropped down the hole.
Status
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The borehole site in 2012
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The borehole (welded shut), August 2012
The drilling ended in 1995 due to a lack of funding.[11] The scientific team was transferred to the federal state unitary subsidiary enterprise "Kola Superdeep," downsized, and given the new task of thoroughly studying the exposed section.[6] In 2007, the scientific team was dissolved and the equipment was transferred to a private company and partially liquidated.[6]
In 2008, the company was liquidated due to unprofitability,[21] and the site was abandoned. It is still visited by sightseers, who report that the structure over the borehole has been partially destroyed or removed.[22]
Similar projects
- The United States had embarked on a similar project in 1957, dubbed Project Mohole, which was intended to penetrate the shallow crust under the Pacific Ocean off of Mexico. After initial drilling, the project was abandoned in 1966 when funding was cut off. This program inspired the Ocean Drilling Program, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, and the present International Ocean Discovery Program.
- The KTB superdeep borehole (German Continental Deep Drilling Programme, 1987–1995) at Windischeschenbach in northern Bavaria was drilled to a depth of 9,101 metres (29,859 ft), reaching temperatures of more than 260 °C (500 °F). Its ambitious measuring program used high-temperature logging tools that were upgraded specifically for KTB.[23]
- In 2023, China embarked on a 10,000-metre (33,000 ft; 6.2 mi) super-deep borehole in the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang region for scientific, oil and gas exploration.[24][25][26] In March 2024, drilling of the borehole, which is known as Shendi Take 1, reached a depth of 10,000 metres.[27]
Records
The 12,262-metre (40,230 ft) deep Kola Superdeep Borehole has been the world's deepest borehole since 1979.[1][28] It was also the longest borehole in the world from 1979 to 2008. Its record length was surpassed in May 2008 by the curved extended reach drilling bore of well BD-04A in the Al Shaheen Oil Field in Qatar, which attained a total length of 12,289 metres (40,318 ft) but depth of just 1,387 metres (4,551 ft).[29][30]
See also
- Chikyū – Japanese drill ship, deep oceanic drilling ship, which achieved a subsea drilling record in 2012
- Denman Glacier – Glacier in Queen Mary Land, Antarctica, covers the lowest point on land
- Earthscope – Earth science program exploring the structure of the North American continent
- Extreme points of Earth – List of extreme geographical points and other geophysical records on Earth
- Lake Vostok – Antarctica's largest known subglacial lake
- List of deepest mines
- Mohorovičić discontinuity – Boundary between the Earth's crust and the mantle
- San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth – Deep borehole intersecting the San Andreas fault
- USArray – US earth science project collecting seismic images of the North American lithosphere
- Vertical seismic profile — relevant seismic measurements
- Well to Hell – Debunked hoax involving a borehole in Siberia that purportedly led to hell - observed since 1995
References
- ^ a b c Ault, Alicia (19 February 2015). "What's the deepest hole ever dug?". Ask Smithsonian. Smithsonian. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ Alekseyev, F.A.; Kukharenko, N.K.; Voytov, G.I.; Galkin, Yu.A. (1972). "Initial results of geophysical and geochemical investigations of very deep boreholes". International Geology Review. 14 (3): 275–280. doi:10.1080/00206817209475693.
- ^ "Sakhalin-1 project drills world's longest extended-reach well". Ordons News. BusinessWire. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 31 January 2011.
- ^ a b Королев, Владимир (6 August 2016). "Подземное неземное". nplus1.ru. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "The KTB borehole – Germany's superdeep telescope into the Earth's crust" (PDF). Oilfield Review. January 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Яковлев, Ю.Н.; Скуфьин, П.К.; Чвыков, О.С.Ч. (2014). "Влияние Природных Факторов на Траекторию и Форму Стволов Кольской Сверхглубокой Скважины (СГ-3)" (PDF). Вестник Кольского научного центра РАН (in Russian). Vol. 2014–03. pp. 8–15.
- ^ a b Osadchy, A. (2002). "Legendary Kola Superdeep". Наука и жизнь [Journal of Science and Life] (in Russian). Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Why Is China Drilling a 33,000-Feet Hole in Xinjiang?". Time. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Kola Superdeep is in the Guinness Book of World Records". Zemlya I Vselennaya (in Russian). No. 3. 1989. p. 9.
- ^ Cassino, Adam (2003). "Depth of the deepest drilling". hypertextbook.com. The Physics Factbook.
- ^ a b Khokhlova, Galina (15 October 2008). "Гордость пойдет в утиль: Кольская сверхглубокая скважина будет ликвидирована" [Pride goes to waste: Kola superdeep borehole to be scrapped]. Российская Газета [Rossiyskaya Gazeta] (in Russian). Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ Ramberg, I.B.; Bryhni, I. & Nøttvedt, A. (2008). The Making of a Land: Geology of Norway. Geological Society. p. 624. ISBN 978-82-92394-42-7. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
- ^ a b c Andrei, Mihai (3 June 2014). "The World's Deepest Hole Lies Beneath this Rusty Metal Cap - The Kola Superdeep Borehole". ZME Science. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "95/01953 Characterization of crystalline rocks in deep boreholes. The Kola, Krivoy Rog and Tyrnauz boreholes". Fuel and Energy Abstracts. 36 (2): 133. March 1995. doi:10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1. ISSN 0140-6701.
- ^ "Where is Earth's Water? | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ Bellows, Alan (5 March 2007). "The Deepest Hole". Damn Interesting. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ "95/01953 Characterization of crystalline rocks in deep boreholes. The Kola, Krivoy Rog and Tyrnauz boreholes". Fuel and Energy Abstracts. 36 (2): 133. March 1995. doi:10.1016/0140-6701(95)93618-1. ISSN 0140-6701.
- ^ G. J. MacDonald (1988). "Major Questions About Deep Continental Structures". In A. Bodén and K. G. Eriksson (ed.). Deep drilling in crystalline bedrock, v. 1. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. pp. 28–48. ISBN 978-3-540-18995-4.
- ^ Smythe, D.K.; Smithson, S.B.; Humphreys, C.; Gillen, C.; Kristoffersen, Y.; Karaev, N.A.; Garipov, V.Z.; Pavlenkova, N.I. (1994). "Project images crust, collects seismic data in world's largest borehole" (PDF). Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union. 75 (41): 473–476. doi:10.1029/94EO01089. ISSN 2324-9250.
- ^ Smythe, D.K. (videographer) (1992). Crustal seismic reflection profiling through the Kola superdeep well, Russia (video) – via YouTube.
- ^ "Росимущество ликвидирует самую глубокую скважину в мире". lenta.ru (in Russian). 10 April 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Kola superdeep borehole, Murmansk, Russia". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Emmermann, Rolf; Lauterjung, Jörn (1997). "The German continental deep drilling program KTB: Overview and major results" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 102 (B8): 18179–18201. Bibcode:1997JGR...10218179E. doi:10.1029/96JB03945. ISSN 2156-2202. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2012.
- ^ Cheung, Rachel (6 June 2023). "China begins drilling one of world's deepest holes in hunt for discoveries deep inside the Earth". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
China has begun digging its deepest borehole in an effort to study areas of the planet deep beneath the surface. The drilling of the borehole began on Tuesday in a desert in the Tarim basin in China's north-western region of Xinjiang, according to the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency. With a planned depth of 11,100 metres, the narrow shaft will penetrate more than 10 continental strata and reach the cretaceous system in the Earth's crust – a series of stratified rocks dating back 145 million years.
- ^ Sharma, Sejal (31 May 2023). "China's 10,000-meter deep dive into scientific exploration". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Sky News (2 June 2023). "China drilling hole over 11,000m deep into the desert". Sky News. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Albert Andeso (11 March 2024). "China's Deepest Borehole Exceeds 10km Milestone". Construction Kenya. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Kola Superdeep Borehole (KSDB)". ICDP. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Transocean GSF rig 127 drills deepest extended-reach well" (Press release). Transocean Ltd. 21 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ "Maersk Oil finished Drilling (BD-04A) well at Al-Shaheen field, Qatar". Gulf Oil & Gas Marketplace. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
Further reading
- Fuchs, K.; Kozlovsky, E.A.; Krivtsov, A.I. & Zoback, M.D. (1990). Super-Deep Continental Drilling and Deep Geophysical Sounding. Berlin: Springer Verlag. p. 436. ISBN 978-0-387-51609-7.
- Kozlovsky, Ye.A (1987). The Superdeep Well of the Kola Peninsula. Berlin: Springer Verlag. ISBN 978-3-540-16416-6.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kola Superdeep Borehole.
- Official Kola Superdeep Borehole website (in Russian)
- The World's Deepest Hole – Alaska Science Forum – July 1985
- The Deepest Hole 20 June 2006
- Kola Superdeep – Scientific research results and experiences by PhD A. Osadchikh 1984 (in Russian)
- Photo report on a trip to the Kola superdeep well in 2017. Many photos of the current state. (in Russian)
