Glomar Challenger set that record in the ’70s.) To drill the hole, Captain Naoto Kimura of the Research Vessel Kaimei (in the image immediately below) positioned the ship above the drilling site. Drill operators then lowered into the ocean a 131-foot-long “Giant Piston Corer” via a winch. The corer then proceeded to drill into the ground, ultimately capturing sediment from 124 feet down. JAMSTEC In a blog post, IODP scientists said that the ultra-deep coring operation was very challenging. But it was clearly worthwhile. The IODP team now has plenty of core samples to study, and they...