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Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by pizu on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:05PM (#4604290)
Why not probe samples from a volcano, instead ???
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by techas on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:55PM (#4604590)
Because the rocks extruded in a volcano suffer a lot of changes during its way up. Moreover, a mantle rock is composed by many different minerals. When temperature goes up, some minerals melt first. So, you expect the extruded magmas to be enriched in those minerals. The extruded rocks are not sampling the mantle properly. Of course they provide tons of information, but is not the same as having a fresh mantle rock.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by s_baby on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @06:50PM (#4604816)
Also the possibility of finding new life forms. We've found life drilling several miles down. How much further does it go?
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by ambertch on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:32PM (#4604459)
I'd guess for purity reasons. Volcanic eruptions don't always come from the mantle - in fact think convection cells, the rising material actually comes from deep down
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by TeMPOraL on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:07PM (#4604305)
Because we want to know what's down there, not what comes up here.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by catenate on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:25PM (#4604416)
Without adequate safeguards, what's down there will come up here (at least to the top of the borehole), and create a new 6km volcano. I'd name it Moria.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by derekp7 on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:48PM (#4604556)
I don't think it works like that. If you are in the middle of an ice burg and drill down to the ocean below it, does water start shooting up through the hole?
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by catenate on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @06:24PM (#4604712)
Yes, if the bottom of the iceberg-hole is below sea level.

If the mantle at the bottom of this new bore-hole is under pressure and liquid, then it will go up the bore hole until the pressure above it equals the pressure below. If the bottom of the bore-hole hits a part of a liquid mantle with a lot of pressure, then we might get a volcano. Hence, Moria.

Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by gnaritas on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @08:43PM (#4605186)
The mantle isn't liquid, it's solid rock.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by felipemnoa on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @05:32PM (#4604458)
So, If you want to create your own island in the middle of nowhere all you have to do is drill a couple of holes to the mantle. I can certainly see some people creating islands this way in the hope of using them decades latter.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by Evbn on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @07:26PM (#4604935)
Superman movie.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by bduerst on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @06:49PM (#4604814)
If they hit adamantine, I say we call the whole thing.
Re:The $1 billion mission to reach the Earth's mantle by catenate on Tuesday October 02, 2012 @08:44PM (#4605192)
Yeah, it would be bad if any of the clowns got out.