Why Is China Drilling One of the World’s Deepest Holes?

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China begins drilling one of world’s deepest holes in hunt for discoveries deep inside the Earth. What if China's quest could unveil secrets as transformative as the Moon landing? Drilling further down than Everest is tall, what might they discover in the Earth's ancient layers? Could this journey uncover a new chapter in our planet's story, or a treasure trove of geothermal energy to power future economic growth? In this video we probe the mysteries and ambitions driving China to pursue one of the deepest hole ever drilled, and consider what breakthroughs, or challenges, await at the edge of this uncharted subterranean frontier by looking at past drillings in various corners of the planet.

References:
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Cheung, Rachel. "China Begins Drilling One of World’s Deepest Holes in Hunt for Discoveries Deep Inside the Earth." The Guardian. June 6, 2023. www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/06/china-begins….
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Teagle, Damon, and Benoît Ildefonse. "Journey to the Mantle of the Earth." Nature 471, no. 7339 (2011): 437–439. doi.org/10.1038/471437a.
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Witze, Alexandra. "Quest to Drill into Earth’s Mantle Restarts." Nature 528, no. 16–17 (2015). doi.org/10.1038/528016a.
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Pechenga District, Image Archive of the Kola Superdeep Borehole." Accessed Dec 15th, 2023". superdeep.pechenga.ru/.
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Müller, R. Dietmar, et al. "A Tectonic-Rules-Based Mantle Reference Frame since 1 Billion Years Ago – Implications for Supercontinent Cycles and Plate–Mantle System Evolution." Solid Earth 13 (2022): 1127–1159. doi.org/10.5194/se-13-1127-2022.


Footage credits:
Ultra Deepwater Drillship Basic Walkthrough by youtube.com/@jhndeere
The Kola Superdeep Borehole today by youtube.com/@rosamenkman
Seismic waves simulation by youtube.com/@SeismologyOxford
Mantle convection simulation by youtube.com/@TimoHeister
Mantle structure by youtube.com/@earthbyte9249
Rocks under microscope by youtube.com/@Cambridge University
Mantle Convection explained by youtube.com/@LMU.Muenchen
Plate tectonics simulations by youtube.com/@cscotese
Greenland’s ice sheet by youtube.com/@NASAGoddard
Animated maps by youtube.com/@esrimaps
China’s Drilling Projects by youtube.com/@ChinaViewTV
Drill bits animation and refurbishment by youtube.com/@UlterraDrillingTechnologies
Supercritical geothermal energy animations by youtube.com/@quaise
Additional 3D animations by Sabir Bikmaev.

This video is a collaborative creation, conceived, written, directed and crafted by human brains and further enhanced with the support of artificial intelligence tools.

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