What would happen if you drilled to the mantle?
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 you dig to the mantle of the Earth?
Around 10 km of drilling equipment will be needed to drill down and reach the Earth’s mantle — a 3,000 km-thick layer of slowly deforming rock. Around 10 km of drilling equipment will be needed to drill down and reach the Earth’s mantle — a 3,000 km-thick layer of slowly deforming rock.
What is the temperature inside the mantle?
The temperature of the mantle varies greatly, from 1000° Celsius (1832° Fahrenheit) near its boundary with the crust, to 3700° Celsius (6692° Fahrenheit) near its boundary with the core. In the mantle, heat and pressure generally increase with depth. The geothermal gradient is a measurement of this increase.
How hot is the Earth’s core?
9,392° Fahrenheit
Inner Core The inner core is a hot, dense ball of (mostly) iron. It has a radius of about 1,220 kilometers (758 miles). Temperature in the inner core is about 5,200° Celsius (9,392° Fahrenheit).
How close have we gotten to the mantle?
No one has ever drilled into the mantle before, but there have been a half dozen serious attempts. Decades ago, the Russians drilled deeper than anyone has ever gone. Their Kola Superdeep Borehole was started in 1970 and still holds the world record for the deepest hole in the ground. But they didn’t reach the mantle.
Is it colder or hotter underground?
The soil a couple feet down still feels last summer’s warmth during winter. It’s not as hot as it was at the surface last summer, but it’s warmer than the soil above it. The temperature varies downward as a decaying wave – last winter’s cold, then last summer’s heat. But the deeper we dig, the less history survives.
Is Earth’s core cooling?
The Earth’s core is cooling surprisingly fast, scientists say – and it could tell us how our planet dies.
How long does it take to dig to the mantle?
If the scientists don’t encounter unforeseen snafus — which is a big if, of course — it could take them between 18 months and two years to drill down to the mantle. They hope to start in 2013 or the following year and complete the project before the end of the decade [source: Cooper].
How far do you have to dig before it gets too hot?
Supercritical water The researchers’ goal is to reach depths of 10,000 metres or more to exploit deep geothermal heat. Drilling that deep will enable wells to reach what is called supercritical water with a temperature of at least 374 degrees C and a pressure of at least 220 bar.
Is the Earth’s core dying?
While that sounds pretty alarming, some estimates for the cooling of Earth’s core see it taking tens of billions of years, or as much as 91 billion years. That is a very long time, and in fact, the Sun will likely burn out long before the core — in around 5 billion years.