Meanwhile, something altogether different and Jules Vernian is about to occur thanks to some Japanese scientists hoping to drill down into the earth's mantle: "Using a giant drill ship launched [in July 2005], the researchers aim to be the first to punch a hole through the rocky crust that covers our planet and to reach the mantle below." And then, in an oddly Borgesian, or perhaps MC Escherian, moment of nomenclatural mise-en-abîme, "The 57,500-tonne drill ship Chikyu (Japanese for Earth) is being prepared in the southern port of Nagasaki. Two-thirds the length of the Titanic, it is fitted with technology borrowed from the oil industry that will allow it to bore through 7,000 metres of crust below the seabed while floating in 2,500 metres of water – requiring a drill pipe 25 times the height of the Empire State building."
For some sense of perspective here, the diamond mine, pictured above, is 1200 meters deep; that means that to reach the mantle, the Japanese will have to produce a drill-hole nearly seven times deeper than the mine (which sounds alarmingly easy, actually – I was expecting to be horrified).
In any case, the drill-ship is called *Earth* and it's being drilled down into the earth... The attack of the simulacra begins.
[Note: This post originally stated that the mine was in South Africa – but I've corrected myself thanks to the comment, below. And apologize. It is, in fact, in Russia, as this BBC slideshow – which I actually looked at a few days ago without noticing (uh...) – makes clear. This BBC link also inverts the figures I had, so who knows: I had 1200m deep and 500m wide (which I suppose is a bit unlikely); the Beeb says the opposite. If that is the case, however, then that Japanese bore-hole into the earth's mantle will actually be at least *fourteen times* deeper than the Mirny mine...]
7 comments:
Absolutely massive, shame the environment will suffer massively due to this, possible area for land fill or other use?
lets throw your syrupy green socialist a$$ into it first!
the insane man is easily recognised by his actions. These are mad men - should have blown them all to hell when we had the chance
It would be awesome t venture in in some other means of drilling but unfortunately the Japanese think otherwise. And there would be no chance in hell an expedition could survive in there.
Fake.
that ah shame that all the assholes out their and wat they are doing too the environment yeaaaaaa right thats totaly a big frickin lie
how about just stop digging holes into the earth and stop taking all of its natural resources. the earth needs everything that we keep taking from it to survive. our grand children will most likely not live a full life because earth is going to soon run out of "gas" and that will be the end
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