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


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

Laura Ingraham
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; @lauraingraham/Instagram

Laura Ingraham Gets Blunt Reminder After Awkward Video Of Her Doing The Griddy Dance Goes Viral

After sharing a video of herself doing the "Griddy," Fox News talking head Laura Ingraham was called out for appropriating Black culture after years of attacking Black people, Black Democratic leaders, sharing racist stereotypes, and attacking their basic human rights on her program.

The Griddy is a popular celebratory dance seen in the NFL, NBA, and the game Fortnite. It was popularized by NFL players Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.

Keep ReadingShow less
Domino’s delivery driver Dan Simpson is seen on a Ring camera going the extra mile during a viral Boise, Idaho delivery.
@katey_93/TikTok

Internet Steps Up To Help Out Idaho Domino's Delivery Driver Who Went The Extra Mile For Customer

It started with a missing Diet Coke and turned into a six-figure thank-you.

A 68-year-old pizza delivery worker is heading into retirement with an unexpected boost after a small act of kindness sparked a viral moment—and a wave of support from strangers who chose to pay it forward.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artemis II crew
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Crew Of The Artemis II Just Spoofed 'Bad '80s Sitcoms' To Introduce Themselves—And It's Too Good

There's nothing quite like taking a little comedic relief into space! But that's exactly what the Artemis II crew did.

The crew stars mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman, and who could forget Rise, the cute zero gravity indicator?

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump speaks next to the Easter bunny at the Easter Egg Roll
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Clip Of Trump Raging About Iran As He's Standing Next To The Easter Bunny Is Going Viral For Its Sheer Absurdity

The sheer absurdity of President Donald Trump speaking to a crowd about his war in Iran as he stood next to the Easter Bunny ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll hits a certain way just a couple of days after Trump threatened to decimate the country's infrastructure.

On Sunday, Trump lashed out at Iran amid growing concerns about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage at the entrance to the Persian Gulf that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. Recently, Iran has struck several vessels in the area and warned ships against entering the passage, effectively halting traffic through one of the world’s most crucial energy routes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Kudrow (left) reflects on feeling like “the sixth Friend” as the Friends cast (right) rose to global fame.
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Getty Images

Lisa Kudrow Reveals Feeling Overlooked After Talent Agents Referred To Her As 'The Sixth Friend'

Even at the height of Friends mania, when the cast was redefining ensemble stardom, Lisa Kudrow says some of her own representatives still managed to treat her like an afterthought.

The Friends star, who spent 10 seasons as the quirky and unconventional Phoebe Buffay, recently admitted she felt overlooked within the ensemble. Reflecting on the experience in a Saturday interview with The Independent, Kudrow said that even as the show exploded in its second season, her career prospects didn’t shift in any meaningful way.

Keep ReadingShow less