Scientists to Drill Earth's Mantle, Retrieve First Sample?

Originally posted by PoorFool

Originally posted by Skate
Why do I have this odd feeling in my gut that this is gonna end up VERY badly for the whole Earth?

My instincts tell me to not F**K with Nature.

I doubt that drilling the equivalent of a needle hole in the earth a few km's deep is gonna mess with anything.

Ever see what happens to a needle hole under extreme pressure

So we can no longer fly outselves to the moon but dammit we can sure go the opposite direction for a rock.

Originally posted by 12voltz
I can only hope they drill all the way through to the other side so we can see what actually happens when you jump down.Do you fall all the way through to china or just stop in the middle,You cant fall up ,right?

Fascinating now that you mention it...I've never really thought about that. What would happen? I think you would fall up. Only reason I say that is because everytime i travel below equator I can jump higher. The lower I go below the equator the higher I can jump. On the island of Mauritious I was slam dunking for the first time ever.

If anything, this should at least put an end to the Hollow Earth theory.

My question is did this Japanese team already try it a few weeks ago and get something terribly wrong?

reply to post by FarBeyondDriven69


I'm disappointed by the attitude of most people on this thread. Yeah, why bother doing science when stuff can go wrong? I suppose man should never attempt to go to the moon. It could be hollow and we could accidentally set off a chain reaction that destroys the moon. Columbus should never have sailed to North America because he could have fallen off the edge of the Earth. Lets all just crawl into a cave and never emerge... because you never know what awful things could happen if you go out and explore.

I'm a fan of science and think this is ridiculous that this will set off some kind of Earthquake. If you have no reason that something bad will happen, don't assume something bad will happen. That is just pointless pessimism.

Have you guys ever noticed how a volcano eventually stops sending out lava? Likewise, a hole that accidentally results in a volcano will eventually stop sending out lava! So that leaves absolutely nothing predicted to go terribly wrong by drilling deep into the Earth.

The Earth already has holes in the crust. These are called volcanoes. Nothing will go wrong.

Originally posted by bcroper
My question is did this Japanese team already try it a few weeks ago and get something terribly wrong?

The answer=NO

It was an earthquake followed by a tsunami. Check the history books. The only thing terribly wrong is, people trying to make it out to be more than it is.

I can't help but wonder if this may inflict some sort of pressure release? I'm no geologist so I'm no one to say anything but speculation. IMO This should be a no-go. Normally I'm all for scientific exploration, Pro-LHC, Stem cell research, ect. I guess drilling into the Earth like that is a boundary if that makes any sense

Have you seen the movie "The black hole"?

They are going to drill into Hell!

Really they just have to Continue where the Deepwater Horizon left off.

The Rig was almost 1/2 way to the Mantle!

The Deepwater Horizon made me a Believer in Abiotic Oil a Claim the Russians Made and was Disregarded as Soviet Propaganda...

I Wonder Why?

No Frlcking way Fossil Fuel is gonna be that Deep.

Check Out Abiotic Oil when you get a Chance. Non-Organic Oil made from a Chemical Reaction Deep within the Earths Crust!

If Humanity can Master Mantle Drilling, we can Relieve Pressure from Stress Points on the Earth like Yellowstone!

It might also be an excellent way to get Heavy Metal Atoms a lot easier.

Originally posted by PoorFool
You people need to read the article and get your facts straight.

Nor would the mantle rocks suddenly erupt out of the hole, since the channel would be narrow and mantle rocks aren't molten.

Hey dude , Im against Probing of any kind ! Mother Earth dont need this on top of everything else , enormous fail by the quack job scientists , needle schmeedle , A needle in your brain , uh uh ,In the words of mr Sheen ,
ah, Losing ..

Originally posted by Gorman91
The Earth already has holes in the crust. These are called volcanoes. Nothing will go wrong.

Ahh I see, and these "volcanoes" are 100% safe are they?


Unlike most volcanoes, I presume this hole wont be sealed off.

Nothing will go wrong

....Famous last words...

reply to post by polarwarrior


Shot polar ! my thoughts as well , Star !

Oh, this sucks. My dogs have spent the last 2 and a half years trying to dig to China and from the looks of my yard could be near the Earth's core. Now some scientists will get there before them and get all the credit.

A Balloon has Equal Tension over 99% (the little Balloon part with the knot always survives) of It's Surface which makes it so Volatile and Fragile and doesnt have enough Mass to Keep it together by Gravity.

The Earth is not only held together by it's own Mass but The Earth's Crust is Uneven and has Variations in Tension and Stress Zones that act as Relaxers or Vents.

The Worst Cast Scenario is forming a made made Lava Tube and Man's 1st Man Made Lava Volcano. It can be a Krakatoa Though!

We Already Seen a Man Made Oil Volcano under Extreme Pressures.

Deep Drilling Oil Companies have hit Magma Pools Before, wouldn't be a First.

oh no, when they drill the hole, a huge volcanic disaster will commence. Half the planet will be destroyed ! This will make the Japan disaster look like a puddle. Be weary, ATS. Tape your windows , shut your doors, and stay inside for 1 month. April 23rd. Disaster. Prediction. *waits 50 pages of replies and people bringing up more coincidental facts and prophecies to convince more people* *oh and someone had a dream about this disaster and decides to post about it in 1000 words*

Typical ATS, 3 2 1..........

watch drills come up broken due to ground dwellers..

Or maybe we find out about hollow earth theory

But IMO, bad idea. Weve already done enough damage to mother earth

Originally posted by polarwarrior

Originally posted by Gorman91
The Earth already has holes in the crust. These are called volcanoes. Nothing will go wrong.

Ahh I see, and these "volcanoes" are 100% safe are they?


Unlike most volcanoes, I presume this hole wont be sealed off.

Nothing will go wrong

....Famous last words...

Well I did some research into the op's article. There is a link to another article. It looks like "we" have hit magma before while drilling.

A drilling crew recently cracked through rock layers deep beneath Hawaii and accidentally became the first humans known to have drilled into magma—the melted form of rock that sometimes erupts to the surface as lava—in its natural environment, scientists announced this week.

The find was made 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) underground during exploratory drilling for geothermal energy. The crew hit something unusual during routine operations at the Puna Geothermal Venture, owned by Ormat Technologies, Inc., of Reno, Nevada.

When the workers tried to resume drilling, they discovered that magma had risen about 25 feet (8 meters) up the pipe they'd inserted.

The rock solidified into a clear glassy substance, apparently because it chilled quickly after hitting groundwater.

Scientists had long known that magma chambers must lie in the vicinity of the drill site.

(Related news: "Vesuvius Magma Chamber Rising; May Mean Milder Eruption" [September 10, 2008].)

news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081217-drilling-first-magma.ht ml



You cannot let fear of the unknown sway you from making discoveries. If that were the case we would not have just about everything we see and use today. Remember we will never fly. Men were not meant to fly. Well, Wilbur and Orville Wright pretty much put that theory to rest.

One More Thought:

This would be the Ultimate source of Geo-Thermal Energy!