A Sudden Change
However, the outcome was not what the Russians had hoped for. They continued to dig deeper, unaware that they were about to run into an unexpected obstacle. A dramatic shift took place as their drill approached the Earth’s core. One of the first indicators of a shift was a gradual cooling of the borehole’s interior. There was a rapid increase in temperature as they dug deeper. As they got closer to their goal altitude of 49,000 feet, the temperature in the hole soared to between 180 °C (356 °F) and a full 80 °C (176 °F). This much heat was unexpected by the crew.
A Sudden Change
A Different Kind Of Rock
As the Russian team descended further into the borehole, they discovered more peculiar phenomena, such as unusually high temperatures. The rocks at those depths were found to have a lower density than expected by the researchers. Consequently, the rocks reacted in various ways to the elevated temperatures. The rocks, for example, felt very much like plastic. In time, this unusual texture became a problem as it made drilling through the rocks extremely difficult. In addition, the heat and the rocks were too much for their machine to handle.
A Different Kind Of Rock
