A group of Japanese scientists is aiming to be the first ones to successfully reach the planet's molten interior using a giant undersea drill.
According to CNN, researchers at Japan's Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) want to know more about how our planet was formed and what the mantle is composed of. Located six miles (10 kilometers) beneath the planet's surface, the mantle makes up over 80% of the entire earth's mass.
"We don't know the exact (composition) of the mantle yet. We have only seen some mantle materials -- the rock is very beautiful, it's kind of a yellowish green," JAMSTEC researcher Natsue Abe told CNN.
Abe also shared that the Japanese government is partially funding the expedition in a hope that they could also discover better ways to predict earthquakes. The total project is expected to cost $542 million.
Engadget reported that to make the dream journey to the earth's interior possible, JAMSTEC is using its largest drilling ship called "Chikyu". They are hoping to start drilling by 2030 at the latest.
The publication added that the team is considering to start the journey from the waters of Hawaii. Hence, a two-week preliminary study shall be conducted to test the waters here. Other options include the waters of Costa Rica and Mexico. Endgadget understands that the choice for expedition locations are all in the ocean because the continental crust is twice as the oceanic crust.
To be able to reach the mantle, Chikyu will have to drill into 2.5 miles of water and 3.7 miles of crust. Other groups of scientists have already observed the mantle before but only extruding from ocean ridges and in some parts of the oceans. If successfully, the team from JAMSTEC will be the first to view the mantle directly at such a depth.