Geological knowledge may be part of it, but I expect they also intend to try tapping this as a huge source of, effectively, non depletable energy: 180 degrees C at the bottom? Room temperature at the top?
http://news.slashdot.org/story/23/05/31/2351206/china-begins-drilling-a-10-kilometer-deep-hole-in-earths-crust
China Begins Drilling a 10-Kilometer-Deep Hole In Earth's Crust 14
Posted by BeauHD on Thursday June 01, 2023 @06:00AM from the journey-to-the-center-of-the-Earth dept.
China has begun digging a 10-kilometer-deep hole in the Earth's crust in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang province, as part of its exploration of the planet's interior. From a report:
The team will dig deep into the Earth, penetrating more than 10 continental strata, which can be used to reconstruct the history of the Earth's continents, including the evolution of landscapes, climate change, and the distribution of life. Continental strata are layers of rock, which are an important resource for understanding the history of the Earth. They can be used to identify and date past events, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and climate change. They can also be used to identify and study ancient life forms.
"Drilling a borehole over 10,000 meters deep is a bold attempt to explore the unknown territory of the Earth and expand the boundaries of human understanding," Wang Chunsheng, a technical expert who joined the operation, told China's Xinhua news agency. The borehole will penetrate a depth of 11,100 meters and is located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China, which in itself is a challenging environment to work in. While the digging has begun, China has not yet given a full explanation or the reason behind the dig.
The deepest man-made hole on Earth is the Kola Superdeep Borehole in the Kola Peninsula of Russia, which was drilled between 1970 and 1992. The hole touched a depth of 12,262 meters and was aimed at studying the Earth's crust and mantle. However, the team experience several challenges during the project including high temperatures of up to 180 degrees Celsius at the bottoms of the hole, the constant breaking and changing of the drill bit and the strength of the rocks at the depth.
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