The Kola Superdeep Borehole: The World's Deepest Man Made Borehole
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Place: Kola Peninsula, Russia
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Depth: 12,262 meters (40,230 ft) or about 7 mile
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Russian: Кольская сверхглубокая скважина
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Purpose:Scientific study
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Penetrates about a third of the way through the Baltic continental crust (35 km or 22 mi)
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Was the longest borehole until surpassed by the Al Shaheen oil well in Qatar. It is still the deepest borehole.
History
The Kola Peninsula Superdeep Borehole (KSDB) was part of a scientific study launched by the then Soviet Union in the Kola Peninsula across from Finland. The project attempted to drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust.
It took the drillers nearly 25 years to drill the astounding 40,000+ ft borehole. They were only ceased drilling when temperatures soared to an unbearable, unsafe 180°C (356 °F).