# Why Is China Digging a 10,000m Hole?

**Published by:** [Durwin](https://paragraph.com/@durwin/)
**Published on:** 2023-12-20
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@durwin/why-is-china-digging-a-10-000m-hole

## Content

Why dig 10km into the earth? What could we possibly find?To unveil earth’s deepest, darkest secrets? If you watched enough Hollywood movies, maybe there will be dinosaurs or a lost world down there. An alternative dimension. King Kong’s real home. China, armed with digging machinery the size of skyscrapers, is embarking on a quest to dig a hole that stretches a jaw-dropping 10km into the Earth. China is diving into a drilling escapade of epic proportions. I mean, who needs to reach for the stars when you can go spelunking in the planet’s crust, right? They’re channeling their inner mole and tunneling their way through ten layers of Earth’s crust.Just to give you an idea just how deep is the deepest part of the ocean.It’s like a geological elevator ride through time, giving their scientists access to rocks that have been lounging around for a casual 145 million years and more. Now, that’s what I call a time-traveling excavation. But wait, why on Earth is China digging a hole that’s almost as deep as Mariana Trench? “In a 2021 speech Chinese president Xi Jinping said it was important to explore deep in the Earth because it could help in finding mineral and energy resources. It could also help scientists study the risks of environmental disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.” You know, just your average Monday morning activity.Minerals and rare earth metals. Thats the answer.Beneath all that scientific flair, there’s a glint of anticipation for some serious treasure hunting. China’s not shy about its stash of rare earth metals, the shiny bits and bobs that power the electric vehicle boom. So while the scientists wax poetic about the Earth’s mysteries, the treasure hunters are keeping a keen eye out for those precious metals. While this audacious hole is impressive, it doesn’t snag the title for the deepest manmade pit on Earth. That honor goes to Russia’s Kola Superdeep Borehole — a Cold War relic that drills down 12 kilometers into the Earth’s crust. The Soviets realized that digging into a sauna-like oven of 500-degree Fahrenheit temperatures wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, and they shut down their project. Just like that.China is starting the project, but who knows if others are doing it already.China’s drilling extravaganza is all part of President Xi Jinping’s grand plan. His “deep Earth, deep sea, deep blue (meaning information technology), and deep space” strategy. Digging deep holes requires deep pockets, and that’s not just a metaphor. And while we are mesmerized by the allure of space travel, it’s both ironic and profound that we’re also reaching deep into the Earth, unearthing knowledge that’s been buried for eons. While we set our sights far into space and interplanetary travels, we forget that fewer men have ever seen the ground right beneath our feet. And forget it, it is impossible to dig through into the earth.Trust me, we don’t know what is down there at all.Not even remotely close. The core is found about 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) below Earth’s surface. We will never, ever get remotely close to the core of the earth. But it doesn’t mean we won’t stop trying. Gosh, you have to love science eh. - Will we ever dig deep enough to reach the Earth’s core? - #DrillIntoTheUnknown #ChinaDiggingDeep #Unearthing #earth #digging #china #hole #minerals #electricity #lithium #expedition #deepholes #xijinping

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