Borehole

/ˈbɔːrhəʊl/ noun

Definition

A deep hole drilled into the ground to access water, oil, gas, or geological samples, or to remove material from beneath the surface.

Etymology

Compound word from 'bore' (to drill) and 'hole' (an opening), formed as industrial English developed a vocabulary for deep drilling technology in the 18th-19th centuries.

Kelly Says

Boreholes are how we read Earth's autobiography—cores pulled from deep boreholes contain trapped air bubbles from thousands of years ago, literally letting scientists hear what the atmosphere sounded like before humans existed.

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