Mohole

[ moh-hohl ]

noun

1. a hole bored through the earth's crust into the region below the Mohorovičić discontinuity, for geological research.

Mohole

/ ˈməʊˌhəʊl /

noun

1. an abandoned research project to drill through the earth's crust down to the Mohorovičić discontinuity to obtain samples of mantle rocks

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mohole¹

Mo(horovičić) ( Mohorovičić discontinuity ) + hole

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mohole¹

C20: from Moho ( rovičić ) + hole . See Mohorovičić discontinuity

Example Sentences

The 1961 project, called Project Mohole, was the first of a handful of unsuccessful attempts to reach the mantle.

From Science Magazine

An American effort, known as Project Mohole, attempted to drill deep into the floor of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico in 1958.

From Scientific American

In the 1950s, he was a key player in Project Mohole — an audacious attempt to drill through Earth’s crust to obtain a sample of the mantle at the boundary, the Mohorovičić discontinuity.

From Nature

On the whole, this effort, centered around Project MOHOLE, failed.

From Los Angeles Times

The project became known, all but inevitably, as the Mohole and it was pretty well disastrous.

From Literature