Earth Mantle: Drilling Into An Artery

Plans are underfoot to 'bleed the Earth'. The technical difficulties of succeeding in this concept are enormous, but the real issue is: why should it happen at all? Best guess is that oil is thought to be obtainable. The motivation to overcome these difficulties then becomes very clear and it would seem the origin of Earth's dwindling oil reserves is less clear than is imagined. High risks are considered in the pursuit of wealth and the dangers are probably ignored. An abiogenic mechanism would overturn current thinking and science would have to rethink the entire geology theories of the Earth. The cost of the Chikyu vessel is reported to be $540m. This does not include (apparently) the operating expenses, but it would appear that before operating within alleged limitations (as the story depicts), it must spend months in the search for oil. What bad 'luck'! The overall outlay is enormous, like this vessel. Ostensibly to study Earth tectonics and help predict earthquakes. Earthquake occurrences cannot necessarily be predicted, but the locations of highest risk are quite apparent: at or near the boundaries and the intersecton of tectonic plates.

• Its mission is to drill into the tectonic plates and potentially into the earth's mantle. It is anticipated that research will play an important role in understanding the 'principles of tectonic movement' and 'earthquake prediction'. Chikyu uses the riser drilling system for conducting upstream oil and gas industry activities.

• The equipment and material include a riser pipe, drill pipe, downhole measurement tools and devices, and an artificial drilling vessel. In addition, a blow out preventer ensures safe drilling in unexpected high pressure flows of oil and gas and other fluids from the well.

• When drilling, to prevent reservoir pressure suddenly forcing its way back up the drillpipe, there is a blow out preventer system. This weighs 380t, stands 14.5m high and can withstand a pressure of 103MPa. Because of the water depths, the drillship has a riser drilling and a riserless drilling option.

• Results are expected, not only to provide clues to the role of a subsurface biosphere left untouched deep under the sea, but also to help understand the mechanism of microbial methane generation and gas transport in seafloor sediments.

• The expedition also expects to reveal the relationship between the extents of subseafloor microbial communities and methane commonly found at high concentration in the hydrothermal fluids, and the formation of hydrothermal mineral deposits.
  

The background spiel (lengthy or extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade) does not explain such a large outlay unless there is a non-disclosed motive that offers very large rewards. The search for gas and oil fields (commonly found near one another, since they are directly related) is a prime candidate. The dangers of deep sea drilling have been exposed by the recent débâcle in the Gulf of Mexico.

The image of an erupting volcano should serve as an example of the probable consequences, though on a minuscule scale. If a human or any animal artery is severed or punctured the outward pressure forces blood to leave the body with potentially disasterous consequences. When the body dies and the internal pressure ultimately falls and bleeding will... stop. Unless there is a very good reason, it is madness to damage an artery. A breached vehicle fuel tank will eventuate in the failure of the vehicle. The pressure within the Earth's mantle is unimaginably high and once ruptured it would be... impossible to stop. The human body has a very limited amount of blood. The content of the Earth's mantle is by comparison limitless.

The mantle is also radioactive. The heat generated within the mantle (up to 6000°C) is similar to the 'surface' temperature of the Sun. Incidentally, when climate change (or global warming) is discussed, the heat radiated by the Sun is always cited, but never the internal heat source of the inner Earth! Heat captured and retained from without is in competition with the heat trapped from within.

That never gets out!