Before Watching
- Have you heard about the Earth’s layers? What do you know about them?
- How deep do you think we can go inside the Earth?
While Watching
1. Watch the video and asnwer the questions
- What is the crust, and what can be found there?
- How do scientists know what’s beneath the Earth’s surface?’
- What is the role of the outer core in protecting the planet?
After Watching
2. More questions to discuss
- Do you think humans will ever drill into the Earth’s mantle? Why or why not?
- How does the idea of layers inside the Earth compare to other planets? Could life exist inside other planets’ layers?
- Should scientists be allowed to drill deeper into the Earth for research?
- What are the benefits of understanding more about the Earth’s interior?
- What risks do you think are associated with such projects?
Transcript
Script:
0:00
“It’s 6,371 kilometers to the center of the Earth. Follow us down—we’re going all the way to the heart of the planet.”
0:14
“Our world is made of layers, a bit like an onion, and as far as we know, life only exists in the first layer: the crust. In the crust, you’ll find the burrows of animals such as moles and badgers. The deepest are made by Nile crocodiles and can reach depths of 12 meters.”
0:34
“The crust is also home to ancient underground cities like Elengubu in Turkey, an elaborate labyrinth capable of housing 20,000 people, complete with schools and chapels. It is thought to have been built around 370 years BC.”
0:51
“The world’s deepest mines can go down to around 4 kilometers. South African gold miners have found worms 2 kilometers down, but all life stops before 3 kilometers.”
1:03
“Then there’s the deepest hole ever drilled—the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia. Some call it the gateway to Hell, with locals claiming to hear the screams of tortured souls.”
1:16
“At around 30 to 50 kilometers depth, we reach the next layer: the mantle. It’s made of hot rock, which appears solid to us but actually flows very slowly—just a few centimeters a year. These delicate shifts below can give rise to earthquakes above.”
1:35
“In the 1960s, a group of scientists attempted to drill into the Earth’s mantle. Although unsuccessful, new efforts are afoot, with a plan to drill deep below the Indian Ocean.”
1:48
“As we descend, the increasing pressure means that atoms become warped, and even the most familiar materials behave bizarrely. Crystals change from green to blue to brown, and rock becomes as malleable as plastic.”
2:04
“2,900 kilometers down, we reach the bottom of the mantle. See those two giant blobs? They are the size of continents. Scientists aren’t sure how they were formed or what they’re made of. They cradle the next layer: the outer core.”
2:22
“In Jules Verne’s classic novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, Professor Otto Lidenbrock encounters an entire subterranean world replete with prehistoric creatures and a Subterranean Ocean.”
2:33
“While the dinosaurs might have been a bit of a stretch, there is an ocean of sorts, but this one consists of flowing red-hot iron and nickel—a sunless sea with its own currents and jet streams.”
2:47
“This motion creates a magnetic field that protects the Earth from dangerous solar rays.”
2:54
“The final layer is known as the inner core. It’s 6,000 degrees in here. The pressure is so intense that the metals have crystallized, forming a solid sphere at the very center of our planet.”
3:12
“In reality, our little vehicle would have been crushed and melted long ago. And as for our driver—I think she’d better head back to the surface. It’s a long way to go.”