The old aspiration of Julio Verne in ‘Journey to the center of the earth’ is still out of our reach, but the explorations under the seabed are increasingly deep. You just have to see the ship that China has just put into service.
Meng Xiang. “Dream” in Chinese. A colossal ocean drilling vessel designed and built entirely In the Asian country to pierce the ocean bed descending up to a record distance of 11,000 meters.
The objective: penetrate the earth’s crust and reach the mantle, a geological border that until now has only been able to study indirectly, creating new science while exploring new energy sources.
A Boat. With 179.8 meters in length and 42,600 tons of displacement, the Meng Xiang is the new largest scientific research vessel in China, which, which consolidated the country’s position as a maritime superpower.
Although it will focus on the South China Sea until 2035, the Meng Xiang could operate in any ocean in the world, supporting superstifones and the most extreme maritime conditions.
What makes it unique. The true crown jewel is its drilling system: the world’s first hydraulic drilling tower capable of raising up to 907 tons with a double purpose: Perform oil and gas exploration perforationsand at the same time, take samples of geological nuclei for scientific research.
Your ability to pierce 11 kilometers will allow you, for the first time, to obtain direct samples of this transition zone. The goal reminds the historical “Mohole Project” of the United States In the 60s, which although he laid the foundations for oceanic drilling, he never achieved his final objective. The new Chinese ship has the technology to get it.
The unexplored border. Since the seismologist Croata Andrija Mohorovičić discovered it in 1909, “Moho discontinuity” It has been one of the most coveted borders by geology. It is the limit where the earthly, lighter cortex gives way to the much densest rocks of the mantle.
Until now, our knowledge about this crucial layer comes from seismic data and the analysis of minerals expelled by volcanoes. China intends to kill two birds with an unprecedented scientific mission that, in turn, will expand its extractive capacity.
What can find down there? In addition to oil, gas hydrates: a vast source of potential energy trapped in the seabed at great depths and low temperatures. Mastering his extraction could redefine the global energy map, in which China wants to be in the lead.
Image | Xinhua
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