Summary
Overview
Josh and Chuck dive into the fascinating story of the Kola Superdeep Borehole, the deepest hole ever drilled by humans. Started by the Soviet Union in 1970 near the Norwegian border, this ambitious drilling project reached 7.6 miles into the Earth's crust before extreme heat and pressure forced them to stop in 1989. The hosts explore what scientists learned from this decades-long endeavor, including unexpected discoveries about underground water, ancient fossils, and temperature variations that rewrote geological assumptions. Despite its scientific significance, the site now sits abandoned and largely forgotten, marked only by a rusty plate with an incorrectly etched depth.
The Cold War Race to Dig Deep
The episode opens with the hosts explaining how the Kola Superdeep Borehole was part of a lesser-known Cold War competition between the USSR and United States. While America initiated the race with Project Mohole in 1958, attempting to drill through the ocean floor near Guadalupe, the Soviets ultimately won by drilling the deepest hole ever created. The U.S. project was defunded in 1966 after reaching just over 600 feet, paving the way for the Soviet effort that began in 1970 on the Kola Peninsula.
- The Kola Superdeep Borehole represents a Cold War drilling race that got far less attention than the space race
- America started first with Project Mohole in 1958, attempting to drill to the mantle from Guadalupe Island
- John Steinbeck documented the American drilling effort, which reached just over 600 feet before being defunded in 1966
- The Soviets began their drilling project in 1970 on the Kola Peninsula near the Norwegian border
" I also wonder, Chuck, if we downplay it because the USSR beat us so soundly at this particular race. "
Understanding Earth's Structure and the Moho Discontinuity
The hosts provide essential background on Earth's layers and the theoretical targets for deep drilling. They explain the Moho discontinuity, the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle discovered by Croatian scientist Mohorovic in 1909 through studying seismic waves. The informal drinking group called the American Miscellaneous Society (AMSOC) came up with the idea for Project Mohole in the 1950s, one of their few outlandish concepts that actually received funding.
- The Moho discontinuity marks where Earth's crust meets the mantle, discovered in 1909 by studying seismic wave patterns
- An informal drinking group of scientists called AMSOC came up with Project Mohole among other wild ideas like towing icebergs to California
- Earth's crust averages about 25 miles thick, followed by the 1,800-mile-thick mantle, outer core, and inner core
" Nothing turns me on more than scientifically speaking, than early science where someone got it right. You know what I mean? It's fun to talk about bloodletting and stuff like that, but I love it when somebody way before they know about this stuff has an idea and it kind of bears out. "
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