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Could It Though? · Today · 4 min

Could We Dig a Hole Through the Earth?

n 1989, a Christian TV network in America told its viewers that Soviet scientists had drilled straight into hell, and played a recording of the screams. The screams were sound effects. But the hole was real: the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 12 kilometres down, and still the deepest hole humans have ever dug. So could we dig right through the Earth? It’s 12,742 kilometres through the middle, the core is about as hot as the surface of the Sun, and our best ever effort got a tenth of one percent of the way. If we did it, you’d fall for about 38 minutes, then fall all the way back. And you’d probably come out in the ocean. Then the real question: why would anyone want to? Because deep heat is power. We look at the Iceland well that hit magma by accident, the company trying to drill with beams instead of a drill bit, and the geothermal projects that set off earthquakes. Could it? Would it? Should it? I’m Gazza, and this is Could It Though? Numbers in this episode: “Well to Hell” broadcast, 1989, and the made-up follow-up: Wikipedia, Snopes Kola Superdeep Borehole, 12,262 m, 23 cm wide, 180 degrees, stopped 1995: Wikipedia Earth 12,742 km across: NASA figures via Universe Today Shenditake 1, 10,910 m, 580 days: China Daily, 2025 Core about 6,000 degrees, 3.3 million atmospheres: ESRF / Science, 2013 Mponeng gold mine, over 4 km, rock 66 degrees: Wikipedia 38 minute fall: Alexander Klotz, American Journal of Physics, 2015 Antipodes, about 15% of land has land opposite: Wikipedia Project Mohole, 183 m into the seabed: Wikipedia Iceland IDDP-1 hit magma at about 2.1 km, 2009: Live Science Quaise, 100 m through granite, 2025: Quaise Basel 2006 magnitude 3.4: Swissinfo Pohang 2017 magnitude 5.4: Korea Times, 2019 Got a hypothetical you want us to run? Send it in. If you’re enjoying Could It Though?, hit follow and leave us a five-star rating. It really helps new people find the show. New episode every day.

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show notes

n 1989, a Christian TV network in America told its viewers that Soviet scientists had drilled straight into hell, and played a recording of the screams. The screams were sound effects. But the hole was real: the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 12 kilometres down, and still the deepest hole humans have ever dug.

So could we dig right through the Earth? It’s 12,742 kilometres through the middle, the core is about as hot as the surface of the Sun, and our best ever effort got a tenth of one percent of the way. If we did it, you’d fall for about 38 minutes, then fall all the way back. And you’d probably come out in the ocean.

Then the real question: why would anyone want to? Because deep heat is power. We look at the Iceland well that hit magma by accident, the company trying to drill with beams instead of a drill bit, and the geothermal projects that set off earthquakes.

Could it? Would it? Should it? I’m Gazza, and this is Could It Though?

Numbers in this episode:

  • “Well to Hell” broadcast, 1989, and the made-up follow-up: Wikipedia, Snopes
  • Kola Superdeep Borehole, 12,262 m, 23 cm wide, 180 degrees, stopped 1995: Wikipedia
  • Earth 12,742 km across: NASA figures via Universe Today
  • Shenditake 1, 10,910 m, 580 days: China Daily, 2025
  • Core about 6,000 degrees, 3.3 million atmospheres: ESRF / Science, 2013
  • Mponeng gold mine, over 4 km, rock 66 degrees: Wikipedia
  • 38 minute fall: Alexander Klotz, American Journal of Physics, 2015
  • Antipodes, about 15% of land has land opposite: Wikipedia
  • Project Mohole, 183 m into the seabed: Wikipedia
  • Iceland IDDP-1 hit magma at about 2.1 km, 2009: Live Science
  • Quaise, 100 m through granite, 2025: Quaise
  • Basel 2006 magnitude 3.4: Swissinfo
  • Pohang 2017 magnitude 5.4: Korea Times, 2019

Got a hypothetical you want us to run? Send it in.

If you’re enjoying Could It Though?, hit follow and leave us a five-star rating. It really helps new people find the show. New episode every day.

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