Wells that penetrate deep into the earth produce amazement and fascination, as well as great scientific discoveries.
Falling into a pit is one of the most common nightmares and phobias, so these dark abysses are not suitable for all audiences as we are talking miles deep below the earth’s surface.
Many have been drilled by human activity, mainly and unfortunately for oil and natural gas, however some of the holes on this list are intended to harness the earth’s internal heat to produce clean, cheap energy, or to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Wells are much more important than they seem, and this is a list of the deepest on the planet:
Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah, USA
This is the largest open pit mine on Earth and the largest excavation in the world. It is located in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It is a copper mine, discovered by brothers Sanford and Thomas Bingham in 1848, although excavation began in 1906. Since then, it has produced nearly 20 million tons and it is believed to be the most productive copper mine in history. It is four kilometers wide and reaches a depth of 1,120 meters. Seeing it from above is very impressive.
IceCube Neutrino Observatory, Antarctica
Drilling this hole cost 279 million dollars in 2010. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory was created to detect these subatomic particles coming from distant galaxies and capable of passing through matter (and normal detectors) without leaving a trace, which is why a large homogeneous mass of matter to increase the chances of intercepting them, such as ice at great depth. The instrument is like a telescope that looks at the earth instead of the sky. Huge hot water hoses were used to bury the sensors underground, melting the ice and creating holes for cables. These holes measure up to 2,820 meters deep.
Chikyu, Japan
Chikyū (ちきゅう) is not exactly a hole, but a ship with a drilling turret. It is a Japanese science mission built for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). It is designed to drill up to 7 kilometers under the sea floor and reach the mantle under the earth’s crust. Why a boat? Because on the high seas the earth’s crust is much thinner than on land. For this reason, although it is not the deepest hole in the world, it is the one that will allow the most interesting results, as it operates in some of the most seismic zones. Its record is 7,740 meters deep in 2012.
KTB well, Germany
Its name corresponds to the initials of Kontinentales Tiefbohrprogramm der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Continental Deep Drilling Program of the Federal Republic of Germany. KTB operated from 1987 to 1995 and is located in Windischeschenbach, in the Bavarian region. The drilling reached 9,101 meters, but that did not allow it to penetrate the Earth’s crust. The temperature in the deepest part of the hole reached 260℃, and thanks to the project, interesting discoveries were made, such as, for example, that the rock at that depth was not as solid as expected and there was a lot of gas and fluids. The pier can be visited and is a major tourist attraction.
Bertha Rogers, Oklahoma
It was the deepest hole in the world until 1979, dug in Washington County, Oklahoma, to look for deposits of natural gas, but it never produced even an ounce of hydrocarbons despite huge investment. The pit reached an incredible depth of 9,583 meters, surpassing the height of Everest, but it literally went to hell. Drilling had to be stopped because the pipeline was destroyed by a pocket of molten sulfur.
Deepwater Horizon, Texas, USA
Photograph: Florida Sea Concession
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off Texas, cost a whopping US$560 million and, after its opening, was leased to BP, British Petroleum Company. Made history twice. The first, drilling the world’s deepest oil well at a depth of 10,683 meters. This mission was successful and they found the Tiber oil field, which is estimated to contain up to six billion barrels of oil. The second time was much less fortunate. An explosion in 2010 caused the largest oil spill in marine history, spilling nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and causing an ecological disaster.
Kola Superdeep Well, Russia
No wonder the locals call it Hell’s Pit. Located right on the border between Russia and Norway, the world’s deepest well is an attempt by the USSR to reach the mantle beneath the earth’s crust. In 1979, it became the world’s deepest man-made hole, breaking the record set by Bertha Rogers. The project has produced massive amounts of geological data, most of which explains how little we know about the internal structure of the Earth today.
In 1989 it became the deepest artificial point on Earth, reaching a depth of 12,262 meters below the surface. Although the Al Shaheen oil well in Qatar exceeds it by just 27 meters, the Kola oil well is still the deepest in the world in terms of true vertical depth as it does not deviate from the perpendicular. It was expected to go even deeper, up to 15,000 meters, but work was stopped prematurely due to higher-than-expected temperatures. In 2012 its entrance was welded and today there is only a metallic covering that separates us from the hell that pulsates in the depths.
Quo Science Travel section sponsored by Hyundai