Scientists Drill Deepest Hole in Earth's Mantle, Uncovering Secrets of Our Planet's Interior

Scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution have drilled the deepest hole ever in Earth's mantle, obtaining a core sample from 4,160 feet below the Atlantic seabed. This sample is providing new insights into the composition and chemical processes of the mantle, potentially offering clues about the origins of life on Earth.

Scientists using an ocean drilling vessel have dug the deepest hole ever in rock from Earth's mantle, reaching 4,160 feet below the Atlantic seabed and obtaining a large sample that is providing clues about our planet's most voluminous layer.

This cylindrical core sample, researchers said on Thursday, offers insight into the composition of the upper mantle and the chemical processes that occur when this rock interacts with seawater at various temperatures. These processes may have supported the advent of life on Earth billions of years ago. The mantle, which makes up more than 80% of Earth's volume, is generally inaccessible except where exposed at seafloor spreading locations.

One such site is the Atlantis Massif, an underwater mountain. Researchers aboard the JOIDES Resolution drilled into mantle rock about 2,800 feet beneath the ocean surface from April to June 2023, recovering a record-breaking core sample. This achievement has provided a new opportunity to study mantle rocks in great detail and link it to microbial life supported by reactions between seawater and mantle rocks.

(With inputs from agencies.)