Beijing: China has introduced the Mengxiang, its inaugural ocean drilling vessel, aimed at delving into Earth's crust to explore the mysteries of the mantle.
This ambitious endeavour, if successful, will mark humanity's first exploration into the upper mantle, representing a significant leap in deep-sea drilling capabilities.
The colossal ship, bearing the name "dream" in Chinese, is a collaborative creation involving the China Geological Survey, more than 150 research institutes, and various companies. The Mengxiang is designed to achieve what has been beyond human reach — penetrating the Earth's crust to access the mantle, a layer that remains largely unexplored.
According to reports, the Mengxiang is a massive vessel, measuring 179 metres (590 feet) long and capable of carrying about 33,000 tonnes of cargo. It boasts a range of 15,000 nautical miles and can operate for 120 days per port call. Engineered to withstand severe tropical cyclones, it is designed for global operations and equipped with cutting-edge drilling capabilities, allowing it to reach depths of 11,000 metres below the ocean's surface.
While human exploration has historically been confined to the Earth's crust, an average thickness of 15,000 metres, the upper mantle, located beneath the crust, presents an uncharted realm. This region, a crucial link between the Earth's surface and its core, has remained elusive due to the Mohorovicic discontinuity, or Moho, which marks the boundary between the mantle and the crust.
Mengxiang's primary objective is to penetrate the crust and reach the mantle from the sea surface, paving the way for groundbreaking scientific research.
While American scientists have attempted to breach the Moho since the 1960s, achieving this milestone has eluded them so far. Yet, advancements in deep ocean drilling technology have offered crucial insights into the Earth's structural composition.
Rock samples obtained from ultra-deep boreholes have proved instrumental in comprehending plate tectonics, the evolution of oceanic crust, ancient ocean climates, and valuable seabed resources, as highlighted by Li Chun-feng, a marine geologist at Zhejiang University.
Although the Mengxiang has recently undergone trials focusing on its propulsion system, detailed information about core drilling remains undisclosed.
According to reports, there are inherent challenges associated with drilling beneath 7,000 metres due to the high temperature and pressure at the seabed, posing practical hurdles despite the vessel's theoretical design depth capabilities. Wan Buyan, an expert in seabed engineering from Hunan University of Science and Technology, emphasised the complexities involved in navigating such extreme conditions.