Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

WATCH: Video Shows How Deep Humans Have Dug Underground

WATCH: Video Shows How Deep Humans Have Dug Underground
Make us preferred on Google


Business Insider shared an animated video showing how far humans have dug underground through using many examples to provide perspective, and it is fascinating to the core.

A journey to the center of the earth would take a lot longer than you'd expect, so you might want to shelve any ambitions your parents instilled in you of digging a hole all the way to China.

What humans are capable of so far is already mighty impressive.

The video illustrates human excavating accomplishments beginning with a scratch on the earth's surface to where we ultimately wind up. Six feet under.

The typical grave is 6 feet down. Most Olympic swimming pools are 10 feet deep. Nile crocodiles dig burrows as deep as 39 feet deep. The Paris Catacombs are 65 feet underground.

Fascinating facts highlight our journey as we continue our descent to the lower depths.

The ancient city of Derinkuyu lies 279 feet below Turkey. The Greenbrier Bunker in W. Virginia is 720 feet underground. It was built to keep Congress safe in an emergency.

Need some perspective as to the scale of how far we've come? In the first example, the video uses a Parisian landmark for reference.

If the Eiffel Tower were buried up to the tip the base would reach down to here. The Woodingdean Well is 1,285 feet deep. It's the deepest hole that humans have dug by hand.

33 Chilean miners were trapped in a mine for about 2 months in 2010. The Burj Khalifa would go 2,722 feet below the surface. The deepest known point in a cave is in Krubera Cave in Georgia. Switzerland's Gotthard Base Tunnel is the deepest railway tunnel. Mponeng in South Africa is the world's deepest gold mine.

Humans have now exceeded the depths below the ocean floor, and that drilling project spans over four decades. How's that pressure in your ears?

The Kola Superdeep Borehole is only 9 inches wide. Russian scientists have been drilling it since 1970. It's now deeper than the deepest part of the ocean. The bottom is 356˚F, which is too hot for drills to go any further.

We have reached the farthest we could go. So far.

In 2012, Exxon completed the Z-44 Chayvo Well. This oil well is the deepest humans have dug.

Regarding reaching the center of the earth, we've barely pierced the earth's crust. It would take another 6o,000 feet to accomplish that. It's still a long journey with 21 million feet to go before reaching the center.

So how big are you feeling now?

Twitter can't even process the statistics of our digging accomplishments.

Flat-earthers out there had a question.

Do talk of crusts and cores make you hungry?

Maybe there's safety in not knowing.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

H/T - Twitter, BusinessInsider, YouTube

More from News/science

Kevin McHale Furiously Hits Back At Fan Speculation That 'Glee' Was Cursed Due To Cast Deaths: 'Get F—ked'
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images; John Medina/WireImage

Kevin McHale Furiously Hits Back At Fan Speculation That 'Glee' Was Cursed Due To Cast Deaths: 'Get F—ked'

It's often said that the beloved 2010s Fox show Glee is cursed because so many of its stars have died or been involved in harrowing scandals since the show aired.

And star Kevin McHale is not having it.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News "The Five"
Fox News

Fox News Host Ripped After Claiming 'Reacher' Star Alan Ritchson's Hatred For Trump Is 'Eating Him Alive'

Actor Alan Ritchson, the 6'3" tower of muscle that stars in the series Reacher, angered MAGA minions after criticizing their idol, Republican President Donald Trump, his administration, and his enablers on a pair of podcasts.

Explaining his political views during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ritchson said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images

Defense Department Roasted After Posting And Then Deleting Tweet About 'Winning' Trump's Iran War That's A Self-Own For The Ages

The Defense Department is facing criticism after the official X account for the Under Secretary of War posted a tweet about the U.S. military "winning" the Iran war with a caption that undermined the sentiment before later deleting it.

The post included a graphic showing soldiers mid-operation with the words "WINNING" prominently displayed along with a caption that said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; one of the two The Arts of Peace statues stands near Lincoln Memorial
Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump Just Renovated Several Historic DC Sculptures—And People Are Furious Over Their Gaudy New Look And Price Tag

President Donald Trump has angered critics following his renovation of several historic sculptures in Washington, D.C., that fit his taste for gold decor.

The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace are two bronze, fire-gilded sculpture groups that flank Lincoln Memorial Circle in West Potomac Park. Originally commissioned in 1929 to accompany the eastern plaza of the Lincoln Memorial and the approaches to the Arlington Memorial Bridge, budget constraints delayed the project for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hannah Berner attends "The Devil Wears Prada 2" New York premiere.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Comedian Hannah Berner's Botox Treatment For TMJ Disorder Has Fans Cackling After It Caused A Hilariously Awkward Side-Effect

Hannah Berner's latest comedy bit wasn't exactly planned. After getting injections to help with her TMJ, the comedian found herself temporarily unable to smile, a side effect she quickly transformed into viral entertainment.

For those who don't know, Berner is one half of the hit comedy podcast Giggly Squad, which she co-hosts with longtime friend Paige DeSorbo. The pair spend each episode making fun of everything from pop culture and everyday life to themselves, so it's no surprise Berner found a way to turn an awkward mishap into a joke.

Keep ReadingShow less