
Travelling to the Earth's center is a popular
theme in science fiction. Some
subterranean fiction
Subterranean fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction, which focuses on fictional underground settings, sometimes at the Inner core, center of the Earth or otherwise deep below the surface. The genre is based on, and has in turn influenced, ...
involves traveling to the Earth's center and finding either a
hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...
or
Earth's molten core.
Planetary scientist
Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their ...
David J. Stevenson suggested sending a
probe to the core as a
thought experiment
A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario that is meant to elucidate or test an argument or theory. It is often an experiment that would be hard, impossible, or unethical to actually perform. It can also be an abstract hypothetical that is ...
. Humans have drilled over 12 kilometers (about 8 miles) in the
Sakhalin-I
The Sakhalin-I () project, a sister project to Sakhalin-II, is a consortium for production of oil and gas on Sakhalin, Sakhalin Island and immediately offshore. It operates three natural gas field, fields in the Okhotsk Sea: Chayvo, Odoptu, and ...
project. In terms of depth below the surface, the
Kola Superdeep Borehole
The Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 () is the deepest human-made hole on Earth (since 1979), which attained maximum true vertical depth of in 1989. It is the result of a scientific drilling effort to penetrate as deeply as possible into the ...
SG-3 retains the world
record at in 1989 and still is the
deepest artificial point
This article lists extreme locations on Earth that hold geographical records or are otherwise known for their geophysical or meteorological superlatives. All of these locations are Earth-wide extremes; extremes of individual continents or count ...
on Earth.
Hollow Earth
The idea of a so-called "
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...
", once popular in fantasy adventure literature, is that the planet
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
has a hollow interior and an inner surface habitable by human beings. Although the scientific community has made clear that this is proven false, the idea nevertheless is a less popular feature of many
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
stories and of some
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
...
.
In science fiction
The most famous example of
subterranean fiction
Subterranean fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction, which focuses on fictional underground settings, sometimes at the Inner core, center of the Earth or otherwise deep below the surface. The genre is based on, and has in turn influenced, ...
is
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's 1864 science-fiction novel ''
Journey to the Center of the Earth
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...
'', which has been adapted many times as a feature film and for television. The novel is not an example of Hollow Earth, as his characters actually descend only 87 miles beneath the surface, where they find an underground sea occupying a cavern roughly the size of Europe.
The 2003 film ''
The Core
''The Core'' is a 2003 American science fiction disaster film directed by Jon Amiel and starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D. J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tcheky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, and Alfre Woodard. ...
'', loosely based on the novel ''
Core
Core or cores may refer to:
Science and technology
* Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages
* Core (laboratory), a highly specialized shared research resource
* Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding
* Core (optical fiber ...
'', tells the story of 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. The drilling equipment, dubbed ''Virgil'', includes a powerful, snake-like laser drill, a small nuclear reactor for power, a shell (of "
unobtainium
Unobtainium (or unobtanium) is a term used in fiction, engineering, and common situations for a material ideal for a particular application but impractically difficult or impossible to obtain. Unobtainium originally referred to materials that do n ...
", a fictional material) to protect against intense heat and pressure (and generate energy to drive the engine), a powerful
X-ray camera for viewing outside, and a system of
impellers for movement and control. The only part of the Earth that turns out to be hollow is a gigantic
geode
A geode (; ) is a geology, geological secondary formation within sedimentary rock, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crys ...
, and soon after the drill moves through it, the hole it created fills with magma.
The 1986 animated television show ''
Inhumanoids
''Inhumanoids'' is the title of an animated series and the name of a Hasbro toy property that were both released in 1986. In the tradition of other Hasbro properties such as ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers'', and ''G.I. Joe'', the show w ...
'' featured regular visits to the Inner Core in most of its 13 episodes. Each of the three villainous creatures theoretically ruled over certain layers of the inner Earth, and their evil schemes were thwarted by the human Earth Corps, who often allied with various races of subterranean beings equally threatened by the Inhumanoids.
During season 3 of the
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' cartoon, the
Technodrome
Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a supervillain appearing in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''-related media, most frequently in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the ''Te ...
is located at the Earth's core, and transport modules are used to drill up to the streets. This season also features the episode "Turtles at the Earth's Core", where a dinosaur lives in a deep cave, and a crystal of energy that works like the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
to keep the dinosaurs alive.
As
Krang
Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a supervillain appearing in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''-related media, most frequently in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series), 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the ''Te ...
,
Shredder,
Bebop and Rocksteady
Bebop and Rocksteady are a fictional duo of mutant warthog and rhinoceros that have made appearances in various media releases of the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise. The two characters are henchmen who follow the orders of the franch ...
steal the crystal to power the Technodrome, the trouble begins.
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...
's 1995 ''
Uncle Scrooge
''Uncle Scrooge'' (stylized as ''Uncle $crooge'') is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck ("the richest duck in the world"), his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in ...
'' story ''
The Universal Solvent''
imagines a way to travel to the planet's core using 1950s technology, although this would be impossible in reality. The fictional solvent referred to in the story's title has the power to condense everything except diamonds into a kind of super-dense dust. The solvent is accidentally spilled and, as it dissolves everything in its path, it bores a cylindrical shaft into the center of the planet. As part of a recovery effort, a makeshift platform is constructed that descends into the shaft in
free fall
In classical mechanics, free fall is any motion of a physical object, body where gravity is the only force acting upon it.
A freely falling object may not necessarily be falling down in the vertical direction. If the common definition of the word ...
, automatically deploying an electric motor and wheels as it approaches
zero gravity
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity.
Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
, then using rocket engines to enable it to ascend again to the Earth's surface. The author Rosa describes this fantasy journey in great detail: the supposed structure of the Earth is illustrated, and the shaft is kept in a
vacuum
A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...
to protect against the lethal several thousand kilometers of atmosphere that it would otherwise be exposed to. The ducks must wear
space suit
A space suit (or spacesuit) is an environmental suit used for protection from the harsh environment of outer space, mainly from its vacuum as a highly specialized pressure suit, but also its temperature extremes, as well as radiation and ...
s and go without food for several days, and they are not entirely certain that the super-dense
heat shield
In engineering, a heat shield is a component designed to protect an object or a human operator from being burnt or overheated by dissipating, reflecting, and/or absorbing heat. The term is most often used in reference to exhaust heat management a ...
will hold. The author maintains continuity with
Carl Barks
Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comics, Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of ...
, explaining that the earthquakes in the story are created by spherical Fermies and Terries.
In ''
Tales to Astonish
''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series, and a One-shot (comics), one-shot comic, all published by Marvel Comics.
The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a scie ...
'' #2 (1959) "I Fell to the Center of the Earth", an archaeologist named Dr. Burke who is on an expedition to Asia travels to the center of the Earth (and also, as he later finds out, backwards in time)--and encounters
neanderthals
Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
and
dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...
.
In the ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' episode, "
The Runaway Bride", a Racnoss warship is found at the center of the planet.
In the 1966 ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' spin-off film "
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.", the Daleks have turned Bedfordshire into a giant mine complex, digging a shaft, accessing the Earth's core. They intend to explode a nuclear bomb to destroy the core and turn the hollowed out planet into a giant spaceship.
See also
*
Earth in science fiction
The overwhelming majority of fiction is set on or features the Earth, as the only planet home to humans or known to have life. This also holds true of science fiction, despite perceptions to the contrary. Works that focus specifically on Earth ma ...
*
Internal structure of Earth
The internal structure of Earth are the layers of the Earth, excluding its atmosphere and hydrosphere. The structure consists of an outer silicate solid crust, a highly viscous asthenosphere, and solid mantle, a liquid outer core whose flow ge ...
, layered structures
*
Planetary core
A planetary core consists of the innermost layers of a planet. Cores may be entirely liquid, or a mixture of solid and liquid layers as is the case in the Earth. In the Solar System, core sizes range from about 20% (the Moon) to 85% of a plan ...
, the innermost layer(s) of a planet
*
List of science fiction themes
The following is a list of articles about recurring themes in science fiction.
Overarching themes
* First contact with aliens
*Artificial intelligence
** Machine rule/ Cybernetic revolt/ AI takeover
*Extraterrestrials in fiction
*End of huma ...
*
Well to Hell, a fictitious borehole in the Soviet Union which was drilled so deep that it broke through to hell
*
Gravity train
A gravity train is a theoretical means of transportation for purposes of commuting between two points on the surface of a sphere, by following a straight tunnel connecting the two points through the interior of the sphere.
In a large body su ...
, a hypothetical tunnel from one point on Earth through the center of the planet and ending on the other side
*
Scientific drilling
Scientific drilling into the Earth is a way for scientists to probe the Earth's sediments, Crust (geology), crust, and upper mantle. In addition to rock samples, drilling technology can unearth samples of connate fluids and of the subsurface biosph ...
Deep drilling projects
*
Project Mohole
Project Mohole was an attempt in the early 1960s to drill through the Earth's Crust (geology), crust to obtain samples of the Mohorovičić discontinuity, or Moho, the boundary between the Earth's Crust (geology), crust and Mantle (geology), m ...
, an ambitious attempt to drill through the Earth's crust into the
Mohorovičić discontinuity
The Mohorovičić discontinuity ( ; )usually called the Moho discontinuity, Moho boundary, or just Mohois the boundary between the Earth's crust, crust and the Earth's mantle, mantle of Earth. It is defined by the distinct change in velocity of s ...
, abandoned in 1966
*
Chikyū
is a Japanese scientific drilling ship built for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). The vessel is designed to ultimately drill beneath the seabed, where the Earth's crust is much thinner, and into the Earth's mantle, deeper than an ...
, Japan's outreach program to promote its drilling vessel as a contribution to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
*
Kola Superdeep Borehole
The Kola Superdeep Borehole SG-3 () is the deepest human-made hole on Earth (since 1979), which attained maximum true vertical depth of in 1989. It is the result of a scientific drilling effort to penetrate as deeply as possible into the ...
, the result of a scientific drilling project of the former USSR
*
Deep Sea Drilling Project
The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) was an ocean drilling project operated from 1968 to 1983. The program was a success, as evidenced by the data and publications that have resulted from it. The data are now hosted by Texas A&M University, alt ...
, an ocean drilling project from 1968 to 1983
*
Ocean Drilling Program
The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) was part of an international project to explore and study the composition and structure of Earth's oceanic basins. This collaborative effort spanned multiple decades and produced comprehensive data that improved un ...
, an international cooperative effort to explore and study the composition and structure of the Earth's ocean basins
*
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) was an international marine research program, running from 2003 to 2013. The program used heavy drilling equipment mounted aboard ships to monitor and sample sub-seafloor environments. With this rese ...
, an international marine research drilling program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of the Earth
References
External links
* {{YouTube, BsKyEckDRbo, Down to the Earth's Core (HD)
Science fiction themes
Structure of the Earth