It was the second sentance that got me: "It took the government two years of pumping fresh air into the cavern just to get its temperature down to 150°C." The

It was the second sentance that got me: "It took the government two years of pumping fresh air into the cavern just to get its temperature down to 150°C." The article you linked to (also a great read) seems to indicate that there was no contact or access to the cavern until they tried drilling into it a few years later to take readings, at which point they contaminated the local landscape. I'm kinda curious where these two years of cooling come into it.