On 24th May 1970, Soviet scientists began the drilling of what became the world's deepest well.
They attempted to drill far deep into the upper mantle of Earth’s crust, on the Kola Peninsula. They managed to drill 12,262 meters (or 40,230 ft) deep. This well is today known as the “Kola Super-Deep Borehole.”
The drilling was frozen in 1994. In 1983, it was already 12 km in depth when they decided to stop digging, and after another 262 meters were excavated, the project was completely nixed. The official reason was lack of funding, but many people say it was because of other “supernatural” reasons. Religious fanatics started to conclude that demons of the underworld will start coming out of the well and into our world. Workers also claimed to have heard “painful screams” of people, as if being tortured or punished for their sins in hell. Some geologists also suggested that the drilling be stopped, as it could have triggered a series of earthquakes.
The project cost a lot of money, but the result was really worth it; when the bit reached 9.5 km level, a large layer of gold and diamonds was excavated. The gold concentration was 80 grams per ton! Therefore, if hell exists down there, it is all paved with gold and precious stones.
