Scientific Deep Drilling and Geophysical Sounding: A Mutual Scientific Challenge to Understand the Processes Shaping the Earth’s Crust

Abstract

The new frontier in the exploration of the lithosphere is the combination of remote sensing and imaging with deep drilling, whereby the latter provides direct access to the deeper part of the crystalline Earth’s crust. Super-deep drilling into depth ranges with conditions of high-pressure temperature and high chemical reaction rates challenges the imagination and abilities of the best of the engineers. Super-deep drilling is also a tremendous challenge to all geoscientists since it provides “basic truths” for a wide spectrum of remote sensing and imaging methods that can be applied to the crystalline crust.