Hole Drilled to Bottom of Earth's Crust, Breakthrough to Mantle Looms

[3dGameMan]

Hole Drilled to Bottom of Earth's Crust, Breakthrough to Mantle Looms: ~source (http://www.livescience.com/technology/050407_earth_drill.html)

http://images.livescience.com/images/050406_drill_rig_01.jpg

By Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Senior Writer
posted: 07 April 2005
08:51 am ET

Seeking the elusive 'Moho'

Scientist said this week they had drilled into the lower section of Earth's crust for the first time and were poised to break through to the mantle in coming years.

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) seeks the elusive "Moho," a boundary formally known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity. It marks the division between Earth's brittle outer crust and the hotter, softer mantle.

The depth of the Moho varies. This latest effort, which drilled 4,644 feet (1,416 meters) below the ocean seafloor, appears to have been 1,000 feet off to the side of where it needed to be to pierce the Moho, according to one reading of seismic data used to map the crust's varying thickness.

The new hole, which took nearly eight weeks to drill, is the third deepest ever made into the floor of the sea, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The rock collection brought back to the surface is providing new information about the planet's composition.

"It will provide important clues on how ocean crust forms," said Rodey Batiza, NSF program director for ocean drilling.

Already the types of rocks recovered show that conventional interpretation of Earth's evolution are "oversimplifying many of the features of the ocean’s crust," said expedition leader Jay Miller of Texas A&M University. "Each time we drill a hole, we learn that Earth’s structure is more complex. Our understanding of how the Earth evolved is changing accordingly."...

[CyberGuy]

I wonder if we are going to see a new volcano emerge Real Soon Now. Just what we need.

You don't need to drill really deep holes to get a peek at the mantle. Just stake out the undersea boundaries between tectonic plates. They are constantly shifting and occasionally giving glimpses into the hot mantle underneath.

[egarrard]

If all they are looking for is Moho, they should check Dickerson Road in Nashville. They'll find plenty there. :banana

[bejohnson]

If all they are looking for is Moho, they should check Dickerson Road in Nashville. They'll find plenty there. :banana

Or Metropolitan Ave. (Stewart Ave.) in Atlanta. :Wink

[wazman]

Number one scientific rule should be "Don't screw around with the crust of the planet you can't get off of when you mess it up."

[pollypopperpop]

hey i just had a thought.
what if we use the heat energy from lava in a powerstation?

here's the idea:
powerstation is located near an active volcano or one that has an active magma chamber.

a pipe would be drilled into the chamber.

a controlled stream of lava would flow through the pipe into a heat exchanger in the station where as in any powerstation, heat boils the water etc etc etc and we get :shocking

the lava exits the pipe and into the sea (just like in an eruption) where it cools.

Pros:
unlimited supply of heat energy.

Non Polluting!

gradual relief of pressure from potentially dangerous volcano's
(prevents eruption? hence massive releases of ash, CO2, sulphur, etc)

Cons:
controlling the flow of super-hot lava

find a pipe material strong enough to withstand and contain the high temps & pressure

Think of the active volcano as like an ever-inflating balloon;
if it keeps on inflating, pressure builds until balloon wall (volcanic rock) fails Poof! (the balloon pops e.g. eruption)

on the other hand with this idea: it's like carefully piercing a syringe needle into the balloon (after lubricating the surface) and allowing the gas to escape out the needle gently to prevent the potential pop.

technically it's similar to geothermal energy, except the lava is extracted out instead.

and could be an alternative to nuclear cos:
nuclear station is trying to heat water from a radioactive source,

but there's a better nuclear heat source - the earths core heating the mantle.

i'd say it's about as dangerous as a nuclear powerstation without the potential radioactive contamination.

just a thought guys :Wink

[bejohnson]

There are several "Geothermal" power stations located around the globe.

Here is a link to some more links for the ones in the U.S.: http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/ThermalActivity/framework.html

Volcanoes themselves do not have unlimited magma resources. There is a magma chamber under the volcano that is filled from deep within the earth. Geothermal is a much more reliable source because the water is heated by the deep earth heat source not necessarily hot magma.

[CyberGuy]

Agreed. Geothermal power is not a new idea and has been hypothesized for decades.

I didn't realize we actually had any operating facilities though.

[egarrard]

I wonder if we are going to see a new volcano emerge Real Soon Now. Just what we need.Nope. They're drilling in the ocean. The worst thing that will happen is that all the water will drain out... :shifty

[eire1274]

Interesting...

The Russians (or Soviets... can't remember if it was after the USSR formed... most likely it was) had a huge digging project going on for years, I honestly don't remember the reason. I'll try to find an internet link.

Anyway, they were down in the region of a kilometer or more, and the workers (yes, there were guys, at the bottom of this hole, digging... no neat machines like we have now) started reporting hearing disembodied voices and stuff. Several of them went outright nuts. I guess there were some deaths. And the project was shut down.

:devil

[CyberGuy]

Nope. They're drilling in the ocean. The worst thing that will happen is that all the water will drain out... :shifty

Hope they got a big bathtub plug ready, y'know, just in case. :Wink