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If we dug into the Earth, where would we end up?
If we dug into the Earth, we would finally reach a very hot iron-nickel core that flows like liquid, but no tool could ever survive the trip there.
The Earth is made of layers, like a ball. We live on the top layer, called the crust. It is thin, like a shell. Under it is the mantle, made of thick, hot rock. In some places, this rock flows slowly, like dough.
Under the mantle is the outer core. It is made of liquid iron and nickel, like boiling metal. Right in the middle is the inner core. It is also made of iron and nickel, but there is so much pressure there that it stays solid. It is as hot as the surface of the Sun.
No one can actually dig down there. Even the deepest well ever dug only goes about 12 kilometres down, but the centre of the Earth is more than 6 thousand kilometres deep. The heat and pressure are so great that no tool could survive it.
Also remember: we cannot dig a hole through to the other side of the Earth, because the way is much too long, and there is melted rock in the middle.
Quick facts
- The Earth has four main layers: the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core.
- The inner core is made of iron and nickel, and it is solid.
- The outer core is made of liquid iron and nickel.
- The deepest well ever dug reached about 12 kilometres down.
- The centre of the Earth is about 6 thousand kilometres below the surface.
- The inner core is as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Check what you remember
3 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.
1. What is the Earth's core at the centre made of?
2. How deep is the deepest well ever dug?
3. What is the inner core's heat compared to?
Where this comes from
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1 tr.wikipedia.org 88/100Earth's core - Wikipedia
You can find detailed and accurate information about the Earth's core.
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2 tr.wikipedia.org 85/100Earth - Wikipedia
It gives reliable general information about the Earth's layers and structure.
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3 nasa.gov 75/100NASA
An official organisation page with reliable information about space and planets.
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