Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Oct 27, 2020 12:30:16 GMT 2
(.#570).- Scientists will dig a hole into the Earth’s mantle.
Japanese scientists will try to dig a hole to the Earth’s mantle.
Credits Wikimedia Commons, Zerene Stacker
By: David Louvet-Rossi
April 11, 2017
The Japanese want to achieve what no man has ever done before, to dig the Earth to successfully reach the Earth's mantle with the aim of better knowing the history of the Earth, but above all to better predict natural disasters, including the country is regularly victimized.
Between 1970 and 1994, Russia set the record for the deepest drilling in the world, reaching 12,261 meters, a depth which however did not reach the famous terrestrial mantle, this layer located between the core and the crust. earthly. A feat that would have many scientific advantages and Japan has announced that it will try to achieve it.
Indeed, according to Japan News, scientists from the Japan Maritime and Land Science and Technology Agency (Jamstec) have launched the project, which will be funded by the Japanese government. Japan’s interest in doing this is obvious, as the country is regularly prone to natural disasters including earthquakes. Knowing more about the history of the Earth and its geology would allow us to better anticipate these phenomena. “In Japan, we have volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. So people want equipment to monitor and analyze these phenomena, but we don't know what to base them on. We need to improve our geological knowledge, and therefore to study the Earth more precisely, "explains Natsue Abe, a Jamstec geologist, relayed by CNN.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Three potential sites
The drilling itself should not start before 2030. Before that, the best technology will have to be selected to get there as well as the right site. Three sites have therefore been pre-selected, all located in the Pacific, where the crust is thinner. Indeed, 4 to 10 kilometers deep would be enough to reach the Earth's mantle from the ocean floor against about 30 to 50 km from the mainland. "One of the sites is off Hawaii, another off Costa Rica and the last is off Mexico," said Natsue Abe.
The ship used will be the Chikyu, "the best drilling ship for our scientific field, the drilling capacity of which is three times deeper than the old ships," added the geologist.
Four goals
This exceptional drilling mission will have four main objectives, the first of course being to reach the Earth’s mantle for the first time. "The second is to investigate the boundaries between the oceanic crust and the mantle. The third is to determine the composition of the oceanic crust. And the last one is to examine microbial life inside the planet, and what is the limit of life inside the Earth, "continues Natsue Abe. "If we dig the earth's mantle, then we will know the whole history of the Earth, that is what motivates us".
F I N .
Japanese scientists will try to dig a hole to the Earth’s mantle.
Credits Wikimedia Commons, Zerene Stacker
By: David Louvet-Rossi
April 11, 2017
The Japanese want to achieve what no man has ever done before, to dig the Earth to successfully reach the Earth's mantle with the aim of better knowing the history of the Earth, but above all to better predict natural disasters, including the country is regularly victimized.
Between 1970 and 1994, Russia set the record for the deepest drilling in the world, reaching 12,261 meters, a depth which however did not reach the famous terrestrial mantle, this layer located between the core and the crust. earthly. A feat that would have many scientific advantages and Japan has announced that it will try to achieve it.
Indeed, according to Japan News, scientists from the Japan Maritime and Land Science and Technology Agency (Jamstec) have launched the project, which will be funded by the Japanese government. Japan’s interest in doing this is obvious, as the country is regularly prone to natural disasters including earthquakes. Knowing more about the history of the Earth and its geology would allow us to better anticipate these phenomena. “In Japan, we have volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. So people want equipment to monitor and analyze these phenomena, but we don't know what to base them on. We need to improve our geological knowledge, and therefore to study the Earth more precisely, "explains Natsue Abe, a Jamstec geologist, relayed by CNN.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Three potential sites
The drilling itself should not start before 2030. Before that, the best technology will have to be selected to get there as well as the right site. Three sites have therefore been pre-selected, all located in the Pacific, where the crust is thinner. Indeed, 4 to 10 kilometers deep would be enough to reach the Earth's mantle from the ocean floor against about 30 to 50 km from the mainland. "One of the sites is off Hawaii, another off Costa Rica and the last is off Mexico," said Natsue Abe.
The ship used will be the Chikyu, "the best drilling ship for our scientific field, the drilling capacity of which is three times deeper than the old ships," added the geologist.
Four goals
This exceptional drilling mission will have four main objectives, the first of course being to reach the Earth’s mantle for the first time. "The second is to investigate the boundaries between the oceanic crust and the mantle. The third is to determine the composition of the oceanic crust. And the last one is to examine microbial life inside the planet, and what is the limit of life inside the Earth, "continues Natsue Abe. "If we dig the earth's mantle, then we will know the whole history of the Earth, that is what motivates us".
F I N .
