For the first time, scientists are planning to drill directly into an active volcano! Their goal: to reach magma, the molten rock beneath Earth’s surface. The project is called the Krafla Magma Testbed. It aims to establish the world’s first magma observatory at Krafla, a caldera—or volcanic crater—in Iceland.
Beginning in 2026, researchers hope to drill two holes about 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) into the volcano. One hole will hold sensors to measure the temperature and pressure of magma. The other will be used to conduct scientific experiments. The data could help scientists better predict volcanic eruptions. It could also help them learn how magma’s heat could be harnessed as a source of geothermal energy to produce electricity.
“We’re going to a part of Earth we’ve never seen before,” says John Eichelberger, a volcanologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who helped found the project. “It’s like landing on the moon. We won’t really know what it’s like until we get there.”