The Deepest Hole in the World, And What We've Learned From It

The Cola Super Deep Borehole, a Soviet scientific project, aimed to explore the Earth's crust by drilling over 12 kilometers deep. Despite not reaching the intended 15,000 meters, the project set a world record and led to significant discoveries, such as the presence of water and microfossils at great depths. The drilling faced challenges due to high temperatures, which eventually halted progress. The borehole represents a small fraction of the Earth's depth, highlighting the vastness of our planet.

Discuss the implications of the findings related to microscopic fossils discovered at depths of up to 6.7 kilometers.

What were the unexpected temperature readings found at the 12-kilometer mark of the borehole?