# What is the deepest human kind has dug into the earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665 "2019-07-07T12:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/1 "2019-07-07T12:15:29Z")
I recall a quote that if the earth were an onion the deepest humans have dug is like same depth as peeling the outermost skin. Is this still true? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/2 "2019-07-07T12:20:00Z")
[12,262 meters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/3 "2019-07-07T13:20:55Z")
12.262 km ÷ mean Earth radius 6371 km = ~0.0019 Which is less than a fifth of one percent. On an onion with a radius of say 5 cm, that’s a depth of 0.095 mm. Less than a tenth of a millimeter. That corresponds to, at best, the onion _skin_, let alone any layers. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/4 "2019-07-07T13:22:58Z")
And earth has a mean radius of 6,371 km, which means that our deepest bore has penetrated 0.0019247 of the way to the center, or about about one fifth of one percent. I don’t know exactly how thick the single outer layer of an onion is, but the comparison seems about right to me. Edit: Damn! Ninjaed! ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/5 "2019-07-07T13:59:41Z")
What is so remarkable about the borehole is how it proved established scientific / geological theories wrong. (And remember this hole is even shallower than an apple skin). Here are two theories it proved wrong : 1. “There used to be common understanding among Western scientists that the crust was so dense 5km down that water could not permeate through it." - proven wrong because they found free water down there. 2. “Prior to drilling, scientists expected a granite-basalt boundary at around 7 kilometers. However, the project proves that this was not the case.” > **[A Look Into The Deepest Hole Bored By Humans](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/242920/20190506/a-look-into-the-deepest-hole-bored-by-humans.htm)** > > The Kola Superdeep Borehole is still the deepest man-made hole on Earth. The project began in the 70s in an effort to study the inner makeup of the planet and was halted in the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/6 "2019-07-07T14:19:46Z")
As far as the deepest hole humans have dug and can fit into at the bottom the winner is likely the [Mponeng gold mine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mponeng_Gold_Mine) in South Africa. ETA over 4 km deep. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/7 "2019-07-07T23:09:40Z")
largest man made excavation in the world is the Brigham Canyon Copper mine near Salt Lake City. Been digging there since 1906. 450,000 tons are removed every day. > **[Bingham Canyon Mine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingham_Canyon_Mine)** > > The Bingham Canyon Mine, more commonly known as Kennecott Copper Mine among locals, is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Oquirrh Mountains. The mine is the largest man-made excavation, and deepest open-pit mine in the world, which is considered to have produced more copper than any other mine in history – more than 19,000,000 short tons (17,000,000 long tons; 17,000,000 t). The mine is owned by Rio Tinto G Minerals,... ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/8 "2019-07-08T01:44:36Z")
Our deepest oil wells in these parts go about three kilometers, but that is not all straight down. Six or seven kilometers is about as deep as any bored well goes. On the plus side, we have done this hundreds or times. This gives me hope we can get rid of our high-level nuclear waste. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/9 "2019-07-08T03:23:29Z")
A reference that a lot of people have actually experienced. > **[Grand Canyon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon)** > > The Grand Canyon (Hopi: Öngtupqa, Yavapai: Wi:kaʼi:la, Navajo: Bidááʼ Haʼaztʼiʼ Tsékooh, Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, Spanish: Gran Cañón or Gran Cañón del Colorado) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).: 902  > The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Fo... > [@](#): > > Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/10 "2019-07-08T03:31:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [12,262 meters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole). Wasn’t this project the source of the urban legend about the scientists who drilled a hole so deep, they penetrated into hell? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/11 "2019-07-08T03:41:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Wasn’t this project the source of the urban legend about the scientists who drilled a hole so deep, they penetrated into hell? [Yep](https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4307). ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/12 "2019-07-08T09:56:23Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Wasn’t this project the source of the urban legend about the scientists who drilled a hole so deep, they penetrated into hell? More like a suburban legend amirite ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/14 "2019-07-08T11:43:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A reference that a lot of people have actually experienced. > [Grand Canyon - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon) Yes, a well-known digging created by humans. It definitely qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/15 "2019-07-08T13:31:42Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yes, a well-known digging created by humans. It definitely qualifies. Just because Paul Bunyan dug it _accidentally_ doesn’t mean that it should be excluded! ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/16 "2019-07-08T13:43:36Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yes, a well-known digging created by humans. It definitely qualifies. :dubious: **aceplace57** said reference. The man-made hole is six times as deep as something that people have actually experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/17 "2019-07-08T13:49:35Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Our deepest oil wells in these parts go about three kilometers, but that is not all straight down. Six or seven kilometers is about as deep as any bored well goes. On the plus side, we have done this hundreds or times. > This gives me hope we can get rid of our high-level nuclear waste. It is interesting that [this XKCD](https://xkcd.com/1040/large/) shows the Deepwater Horizon rig drilled to more than 11,000m, but Wikipedia listed it as having drilled only to 10,683m. Either way, they are approaching Kola Borehole depths. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/18 "2019-07-08T14:29:56Z")
How the hell does oil end up that deep? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/19 "2019-07-08T14:30:03Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > It is interesting that [this XKCD](https://xkcd.com/1040/large/) shows the Deepwater Horizon rig drilled to more than 11,000m, but Wikipedia listed it as having drilled only to 10,683m. Either way, they are approaching Kola Borehole depths. Don’t forget the water column. Deepwater Gulf of Mexico wells have at least 1 km of water sitting on top of them, so the actually penetration into the earth is closer to 9-9.3km from the mudline for Macondo. It’s less for other wells, as some of these are drilled in 1.5 to 2 km of water (or more). The 11km figure is a total depth referenced to mean sea level. The ocean is itself an extreme engineering challenge but it usually doesn’t “count” for many of these lists. But still, to approach Kola depths in that sort of environment is still a pretty big deal, engineering wise. > [@Alessan](#): > > How the hell does oil end up that deep? Jurassic era rock. Used to be the geologists thought all the oil would just cook out and there would be nothing left, but that wasn’t quite right. Why Jurassic era rock shows up that deep is due to the Mississippi River. In other parts of the world, Jurassic era rock doesn’t occur that deep. But the Mississippi River dumps a lot of sediment into the Gulf. Give that a million years or ten, and it adds up. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/20 "2019-07-08T15:15:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > largest man made excavation in the world is the Brigham Canyon Copper mine near Salt Lake City. Been digging there since 1906. 450,000 tons are removed every day. > > [Bingham Canyon Mine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bingham_Canyon_Mine) _nitpick_ Bingham, not Brigham. Copper was discovered there by the sons of Mormon pioneer Erastus Bingham while herding sheep. Brigham Young advised against mining because it would divert manpower from farming, which was needed more by the fledgling Mormon community. The name stuck as Bingham canyon, however. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665/21 "2019-07-08T21:09:05Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How the hell does oil end up that deep? Whatever the word is for layers of the earth folding in and out on each other, and plate tectonics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-deepest-human-kind-has-dug-into-the-earth/836665.md?page=2)