Japanese scientists drilled the ocean floor near Fukushima at a depth of 8,000 meters

Scientists aboard the research vessel Kaimei set two records on May 14.

The drilling rig was able to

descend to a depth of 8,023 meters at a speed1.1 m/s. It took two hours and 40 minutes to drill. According to Michael Strasser, professor of sedimentary geology at the University of Innsbruck, the well was "the deepest drilled and worked water body in the scientific history of offshore drilling."

The previous record was set almost 50 years ago in the Mariana Trench, when the crew of the drilling vessel Glomar Challenger took samples at depths of 7,034 meters and 7,029 meters.

During this expedition, the drilling rig dugand retrieved a 37.75 meter core sample, “setting a new scientific record for the deepest core at sea level” at 8,060 meters, Strasser writes. The deepest previous sample below sea level was taken at 7,734 meters below sea level.

Researchers from the expedition hope to geta new understanding of the history of earthquakes in the region. According to the BBC, the drilling site, designated M0081, is located near the epicenter of the Tohoku earthquake. A magnitude 9.1 underwater mega-earthquake triggered a tsunami, which in turn triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

See also:

New blood test determines human lifespan

Scientists have created a biological clock switch

Scientists have found that super-enriched gold is formed as yogurt