Japanese scientists will be the first to

People have been to the Moon and have explored almost every corner of the Earth. But there is a place they have never been to: in the ground.

According to CNN, a group of Japanese scientists said they would be the first to drill deep into the soil mantle (layer of mantle) , which has layers of molten rock, beneath the crust of the Earth's surface.

Researchers at Japan's Ocean-Earth Science and Technology Agency (JAMSTEC) say they hope to discover more about how Earth forms and builds its coating. Japanese media reported on this project early last week.

Earth's mantle covers more than 80% of the entire planetary structure, about 10km from the seabed.

Earth's crust.

JAMSTEC researcher Natsue Abe said: "We never knew exactly the Earth's coating. We only see some of the material of this coating - very beautiful stones, yellowish green rocks. ".

The Japanese government, which sponsors the project, hopes the study could help discover how to predict earthquakes.

"In Japan, we have volcanoes, earthquakes and natural disasters. People want analytical and monitoring equipment, but we don't know what to use," said researcher Abe . So we need to know about the natural system more clearly and accurately . We have to observe the Earth more accurately. "

Journey into the heart of the Earth.(Photo: JAMSTEC / CNN).

Ms. Abe said the research agency is considering three drilling sites, all in the Pacific, one in Hawaii, one in Costa Rica, and in Mexico.

To reach the Earth's coating, JAMSTEC wants to use one of the most advanced drilling ships available today, Chikyu .

Chikyu drill ship.

Ms. Abe said: "This is the largest drilling ship in our field, so the ability to drill three times the previous ships."

Ms. Abe also said the research agency used to drill and take samples from the seabed but only on the surface. As expected, the Earth coating drilling project started at the latest in 2030.

"If we drill deep into the mantle, we will know the entire history of the Earth. That's the driving force for this research project," said Abe .