World’s deepest drilling hole considered re-opened
Russian scientists are discussing to re-open the Kolskaya Sverkhglubokaya (“Kola Super-deep”) drilling project in the Kola Peninsula. The deepest drilling hole in the world was closed for further work after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Several geologists believe the hole, which the Soviet Union started drilling in 1970 in a bid to discover new metals and mineral, should be reopened for further research. At least, one should study the drill core from the hole, says Yury Voytekhovsky, Director of the Institute for Geology at the Kola Science Center, to TV21.ru: - In course of the last three decades, science has come a long way and we now have new equipment.
Most of the core is currently located at a research center for superdeep drilling in Yaroslav.
Operations at the site ended in 1992, after having reached 12 262 meters down in the ground. The hole is known to be the deepest man-made hole on the planet.
The tower over the drilling hole, which was a landmark outside the town of Zapolyarny close to the border to Norway, has now been taken down.
