Travel to the Earth's center
Encyclopedia
Subterranean fiction
Subterranean fiction is a subgenre of adventure fiction which focuses on underground settings, sometimes at the center of the Earth or otherwise deep below the surface...
involves travel to the Earth's center, either finding a Hollow Earth
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
or the Earth's molten core
Inner core
The inner core of the Earth, its innermost hottest part as detected by seismological studies, is a primarily solid ball about in radius, or about 70% that of the Moon...
.
Though no scientists have seriously proposed travel to the Earth's center, planetary scientist
Planetary science
Planetary science is the scientific study of planets , moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation,...
David J. Stevenson
David J. Stevenson
David John Stevenson is a professor of planetary science at Caltech. Originally from New Zealand, he received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in physics, where he proposed a model for the interior of Jupiter. He is well-known for applying fluid mechanics and magnetohydrodynamics to understand...
suggested sending a probe
Space probe
A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...
to the core as a thought experiment
Thought experiment
A thought experiment or Gedankenexperiment considers some hypothesis, theory, or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences...
. So far, the deepest humans have drilled is just over 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), the Al Shaheen oil well
Al Shaheen oil field
The Al Shaheen Oil Field is a production oil and gas field off the north east of coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, north of Doha. The oil field lies over the North Gas Field, the largest gas field in the world...
in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, and in 2011 by 12,345 metres (40,502 ft) long Sakhalin-I
Sakhalin-I
The Sakhalin-I project, a sister project to Sakhalin-II, is a consortium to locate and produce oil and gas on Sakhalin Island and immediately offshore, in the Okhotsk Sea, from three fields: Chayvo, Odoptu, and Arkutun-Dagi....
Odoptu OP-11 Well (offshore the Russian island Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
).[2]
Hollow Earth
A "Hollow EarthHollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
" belief posits that the planet Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
has a hollow interior and probably a habitable inner surface. At one time, adventure literature made this idea popular. The scientific community dismisses it as pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
– but it remains a popular feature of many fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
stories, and is an explanation used for conspiracy theories.
In science fiction
Most famous was Jules Verne's 1864 science fiction novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth.The 2003 film The Core
The Core
The Core is a 2003 American disaster film loosely based on the novel Core by Paul Preuss. It concerns a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth and set off a series of nuclear explosions in order to restart the rotation of Earth's core...
concerns a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth and detonate a series of nuclear explosions in order to restart the rotation of Earth's core. It was based loosely on the novel Core
Core (novel)
Core is a science fiction novel by author Paul Preuss. First published in August 1993, it is about a group of scientists who must undertake a dangerous trip to the core of the Earth.A 2003 film, The Core, was loosely based on this novel.-Synopsis:...
. The vehicle used in the movie was a snake-like drill, dubbed Virgil, equipped with a powerful laser drill, a small nuclear reactor for power, a shell (of "unobtainium
Unobtainium
In engineering, fiction, and thought experiments, unobtainium is any extremely rare, costly, or impossible material, or device needed to fulfill a given design for a given application. The properties of any particular unobtainium depend on the intended use...
", a fictional material) to protect against the intense heat and pressure (and generate energy to drive the engine), a powerful x-ray camera
X-Ray Vision
In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the ability to see through physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' iconic superhero character, Superman....
for viewing outside, and a system of impellers for movement and control. The only part of the earth that was hollow was a geode
Geode
Geodes are geological secondary sedimentary structures which occur in sedimentary and certain volcanic rocks. Geodes are essentially spherical masses of mineral matter that were deposited sygenetically within the rock formations they are found in. Geodes have a Chalcedony shell containing...
covered in crystals and surrounded by empty space, yet soon after moving through this area, it filled with magma as a result of a hole created by the drill.
In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five part miniseries and began its official run on October 1, 1988...
, the season three Technodrome
Technodrome
The Technodrome is the semi-spherical tank-like metallic mobile subterranean fortress of Krang and Shredder, the main villains in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, the Archie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comics and most TMNT video game adaptations. The Technodrome was also...
is located at the Earth's core, and transport modules are used to drill up to the streets. Season three also features the episode "Turtles at the Earth's Core", with a deep underground cave where dinosaurs live, and a crystal of energy that works like the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
to keep the dinosaurs alive.
As Krang
Krang
Krang is a fictional supervillain who appears in the Sonic The Hedgehog TV shows and most frequently in the 1987 STH cartoon and its associated media, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book and most of the classic TMNT video games....
, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady steal the crystal to power the Technodrome, the trouble begins.
Don Rosa
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
's 1995 Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
story The Universal Solvent constructs a way of travel to the planet's core using 1950s technology, albeit on a completely impossible basis. The titular solvent condenses everything but diamonds into super-dense dust. When spilled, it bores a spherical shaft into the center of the planet.
A recovery effort uses a makeshift platform that descends in free fall
Free fall
Free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it, at least initially. These conditions produce an inertial trajectory so long as gravity remains the only force. Since this definition does not specify velocity, it also applies to objects initially moving upward...
, then using an electric motor and wheels as it approaches zero gravity, then using rocket engines on the ascent. Rosa goes into great detail of the journey: the structure of the Earth is illustrated, the shaft is kept in a vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
as several thousand kilometers of atmosphere would be lethal, the ducks are forced to wear space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
s, fast for days, and are not entirely certain that the super-dense heat shield
Heat shield
A heat shield is designed to shield a substance from absorbing excessive heat from an outside source by either dissipating, reflecting or simply absorbing the heat...
will hold. At the same time the author maintains continuity with Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
, so earthquakes are created by spherical Fermies and Terries.
In Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics.The primary title bearing that name was published from 1959-1968...
#2 (1959) "I Fell to the Center of the Earth", archaelogist Dr. Burke, while on an expedition to Asia, travels to the center of the Earth where he finds neanderthals and dinosaurs. It turns out that he also travelled back in time.
See also
- Structure of the EarthStructure of the EarthThe interior structure of the Earth, similar to the outer, is layered. These layers can be defined by either their chemical or their rheological properties. The Earth has an outer silicate solid crust, a highly viscous mantle, a liquid outer core that is much less viscous than the mantle, and a...
, layered structures - Planetary corePlanetary coreThe planetary core consists of the innermost layer of a planet.The core may be composed of solid and liquid layers, while the cores of Mars and Venus are thought to be completely solid as they lack an internally generated magnetic field. In our solar system, core size can range from about 20% to...
, the innermost layer(s) of a planet - List of science fiction themes
- Well to Hell hoaxWell to hell hoaxThe "Well to Hell" is a putative borehole in Russia which was purportedly drilled so deep that it broke through to hell. This urban legend has been circulating on the Internet since at least 1997...
, a fictitious borehole in the Soviet Union which was drilled so deep that it broke through to hell - Scientific drillingScientific drillingScientific drilling is a way to probe down into the Earth, allowing scientists and students to obtain samples of sediments, crust, and upper mantle. In addition to rock samples, drilling technology allows humans to obtain samples of connate fluids and of the subsurface biosphere, mostly microbial...
- China SyndromeChina SyndromeThe term China syndrome describes a nuclear reactor operations accident characterized by the severe meltdown of the core components of the reactor, which then burn through the containment vessel and the housing building, then notionally through the crust and body of the Earth until reaching...
, a nuclear reactor operations accident which suggests burning through the crust and body of the Earth until reaching China
Deep drilling projects
- Project MoholeProject MoholeProject Mohole was an ambitious attempt to drill through the Earth's crust into the Mohorovičić discontinuity, and to provide an Earth science complement to the high profile Space Race. The project was initially led by the American Miscellaneous Society with funding from the National Science...
, an ambitious attempt to drill through the Earth's crust into the Mohorovičić discontinuityMohorovičić discontinuityThe Mohorovičić discontinuity , usually referred to as the Moho, is the boundary between the Earth's crust and the mantle. Named after the pioneering Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić, the Moho separates both the oceanic crust and continental crust from underlying mantle...
, abandoned in 1966 - Chikyū HakkenChikyu Hakkenis a Japanese scientific drilling ship built for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program . The vessel is designed to ultimately drill seven kilometres beneath the seabed, where the Earth's crust is much thinner, and into the Earth's mantle, deeper than any other hole drilled in the ocean thus...
, Japan's outreach program to promote its drilling vessel as a contribution to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program - Kola Superdeep BoreholeKola Superdeep BoreholeThe Kola Superdeep Borehole is the result of a scientific drilling project of the Soviet Union in Kola Peninsula. The project attempted to drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust. Drilling began on 24 May 1970 using the Uralmash-4E, and later the Uralmash-15000 series drilling rig. A...
, the result of a scientific drilling project of the former USSR - Deep Sea Drilling ProgramDeep Sea Drilling ProgramThe Deep Sea Drilling Project was an ocean drilling project operated from 1968 to 1983. The program was considered to be successful as evidenced by the data and publications that have resulted from it and is now supported by Texas A&M University, although for the years of its operations these were...
, an ocean drilling project from 1968 to 1983 - Ocean Drilling ProgramOcean Drilling ProgramThe Ocean Drilling Program was an international cooperative effort to explore and study the composition and structure of the Earth's ocean basins. ODP, which began in 1985, was the direct successor to the highly successful Deep Sea Drilling Project initiated in 1968 by the United States...
, an international cooperative effort to explore and study the composition and structure of the Earth's ocean basins - Integrated Ocean Drilling ProgramIntegrated Ocean Drilling ProgramThe Integrated Ocean Drilling Program is an international marine research program. The program uses heavy drilling equipment mounted aboard ships to monitor and sample sub-seafloor environments...
, an international marine research drilling program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth