Is this the entrance to hell? Inside the world’s deepest hole and its 'horrifying' sounds

The Koala Peninsula, deep in the Arctic Circle, is a remote, icy region filled with natural beauty. Despite its lakes, forests, and snow-covered landscapes, one eerie feature stands out: an abandoned Soviet scientific research station. At the center of this desolate structure is a heavy, rusted metal cap bolted into the concrete floor, known to some as the “entrance to hell,” according to the BBC.

This is the site of the Koala Superdeep Borehole SG-3, the deepest artificial hole on Earth. Drilled to an astounding depth of 12.262 kilometers (7.61 miles) in 1989, the borehole was part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious project to dig as far into the Earth’s crust as possible. Located in the Pechengsky District of Russia near the Norwegian border, the project provided invaluable geological data but also sparked eerie myths that continue to this day.

The Soviets aimed to break through the Earth's crust and better understand its composition. But after drilling to a record-breaking depth, they had to stop because the extreme heat—180°C (356°F)—began melting their equipment. The borehole reached deeper than any human-made structure before, allowing geologists to study the Earth's crust at unprecedented depths. This was a monumental achievement, offering insights into the minerals, rocks, and microorganisms hidden below the surface.

At the 12.262-kilometer mark, scientists discovered deep rocks saturated with water and valuable minerals like gold and copper. They even uncovered 14 species of fossilized microorganisms. Despite drilling for nearly 20 years, they only managed to dig about one-third of the way through the crust, still far from reaching the Earth’s mantle.

The project came to a halt in 1992, due to technical limitations and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which left no funding for such grand-scale scientific efforts. By 1995, the research station was abandoned. Today, the site stands frozen in time, with curious tourists occasionally visiting to see the place where humans dug deeper than ever before.

While the scientific achievements of the Koala Superdeep Borehole were significant, many were fixated on the darker, more sinister rumors that circulated. Local folklore claimed that the hole had pierced the gates of hell itself. According to these tales, eerie sounds were heard rising from the depths of the hole, leading to wild speculations about what lay below.

Tabloids fueled the frenzy by reporting that Soviet scientists had lowered a microphone into the borehole, where they allegedly recorded the screams of tortured souls. A 17-second audio clip, described as the "sounds of hell," circulated widely, terrifying those who believed in the supernatural.

Several YouTube videos and articles picked up on this story, amplifying the fear. In these recordings, people claim to hear disturbing wailing noises, which some interpreted as the cries of the damned. As one person described, it sounded like "people screaming in pain and agony," reports Mirror. For believers in the paranormal, this was chilling proof that the Soviet project had dug too deep.

However, not all were convinced. Investigators and myth-busting websites soon debunked the terrifying audio claims. Experts pointed out that no recording devices were actually placed at the drilling site, and even if they had been, no microphone could have survived the intense heat of 180°C.

Furthermore, the infamous "sounds of hell" were traced back to a hoax. The audio in question had been looped and manipulated, using sounds from the 1972 horror movie Baron Blood and a 1948 radio drama called "Quiet Please - The Fourable Board." The sound was altered to make it seem like hundreds of voices were crying out at once, but as one debunker explained, "the file has been looped and layered over itself several times." While the story of the tortured souls may be spine-chilling, it is far from the truth.

Despite the myth being thoroughly disproven, the legend of the Koala Superdeep Borehole as an “entrance to hell” persists, continuing to intrigue and terrify in equal measure.

While the haunting stories capture imaginations, the true legacy of the Koala Superdeep Borehole lies in its contributions to science. The borehole allowed scientists to study the Earth's crust at an unprecedented depth and provided crucial data about the planet’s geology. Though the project ended over 30 years ago, the knowledge gained continues to inform geological research today.

Now, the once-bustling research site stands as a symbol of human curiosity and ambition. Though the dream of reaching the Earth’s mantle was never realized, the Koala Superdeep Borehole remains the deepest point humans have ever reached, and its mysterious past continues to captivate those who visit.

For anyone curious about the mysteries of our planet—or perhaps those of the supernatural—this desolate site in the Arctic is sure to fascinate.