The Temperature Changed
They had underestimated how quickly the temperature would rise. By the time they got close to the target, the temperature in the hole had reached 180 °C (356 °F). This is an incredible 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than they had anticipated!
There Was More
That wasn’t the end of it. Furthermore, the researchers discovered that the rock at those depths was much less dense than they had previously assumed. As a result, it reacted to the higher temperatures in a variety of ways.