Uralmash-4E
For their project, the Russian team needed specialized tools. The Uralmash-4E, a serial drilling rig used for oil wells, did the drilling. For this rig to be able to drill to a depth of 7 kilometers, some adjustments had to be made. The Soviet team invested heavily in the development of instruments to take direct physical measurements at the borehole’s bottom. This meant that the reliability of their measurements was improved. The Uralmash-15000 was added to the squad’s arsenal in 1974.
Uralmash 4E
Bertha Rogers Hole
Meanwhile, the Americans have been making some headway of their own. Lone Star Producing Company began oil exploration in Washita County, Oklahoma in 1974. However, despite their failure to locate oil, they succeeded in creating the deepest hole on the planet at the time. The hole they drilled, now known as the “Bertha Rogers hole,” went more than 31,400 feet below ground. Even though it’s no longer the deepest hole ever dug by humans, it’s still the deepest in the United States.
Bertha Rogers Hole
