Drilling at Kola SG-3 began on 24 May 1970 using the -4E, a serial drilling rig used for drilling . The rig was slightly modified to be able to reach a 7,000-metre (23,000 ft) depth. In 1974, the new purpos. .
The stated areas of study of the Kola Superdeep Borehole were the deep structure of the , discontinuities and the thermal regime in the Earth's crust, the physical and chemical compositio. .
The drilling ended in 1995 due to a lack of funding. The scientific team was transferred to the federal state unitary subsidiary enterprise "Kola Superdeep," downsized, and given the new task of thoroughly studying th. .
• The United States had embarked on a similar project in 1957, dubbed , which was intended to penetrate the shallow crust under the Pacific Ocean off Mexico. After initial drilling, the project was aband.
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