Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Phil Wang, Ana Ferreira and Chris Jackson
Feb 19, 2025
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Join comedian Phil Wang, once an engineering student, along with seismologist Ana Ferreira and geoscientist Chris Jackson, as they journey into the Earth’s layers. They reveal the surprising complexities of the Earth’s structure, from continental blobs deep within to the extreme conditions that hamper direct exploration. Phil hilariously grapples with his fears of falling through gaps between tectonic plates, while Ana shares cutting-edge techniques for studying our planet's hidden depths. The conversation brilliantly blends science with humor, making geology captivating!
The Earth's layered structure, consisting of the crust, mantle, and core, plays a crucial role in geological phenomena like earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Extreme pressure and temperature variations within the Earth limit human exploration while advanced seismic imaging techniques help scientists uncover its complex interior.
Deep dives
Understanding Earth's Layers
The Earth consists of several distinct layers, starting from the thin, brittle crust that we inhabit, which varies in thickness from about six kilometers beneath oceans to approximately 70 kilometers beneath continents. Beneath the crust lies the mantle, which behaves like a solid but flows slowly over long periods, akin to thick glass. The outer core consists of liquid iron, generating the Earth's magnetic field, while the inner core is solid, primarily made of iron and nickel. This layered structure impacts geological phenomena, including earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Pressure and Temperature Dynamics
As one descends into the Earth, pressure and temperature increase dramatically, with the outer core experiencing pressures up to three million times greater than at the surface. For instance, at the boundary between the crust and mantle, the pressure reaches about a thousand times atmospheric levels. Temperature climbs with depth, averaging 25 to 32 degrees Celsius per kilometer, with temperatures potentially exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the mantle. This extreme pressure and heat cause materials to behave in unusual ways, such as liquid iron flowing like water under these conditions.
The Cycle of Earth's Crust Formation
New crust forms at mid-ocean ridges where magma rises, cools, and solidifies, while older crust sinks into the mantle at subduction zones, creating a continuous cycle of crustal creation and destruction. The dynamics of plate tectonics drive this process, with the constant movement of tectonic plates leading to stress accumulation and eventual release through earthquakes. These cycles have monumental implications for life on Earth, influencing geological history, climate regulation, and the distribution of mineral resources. This interconnected system showcases how geological processes are integral to Earth's functionality and habitability.
Exploration Challenges and Techniques
Humans have only managed to drill down a few kilometers into the Earth's crust, with the deepest borehole reaching 12,365 meters in Russia. The study of the Earth's interior relies on indirect methods, primarily using seismic waves generated by earthquakes to create images of subsurface structures. These seismic waves help geoscientists understand the composition and dynamics of different layers, including the properties of the liquid outer core. By employing imaging techniques similar to medical CT scans, researchers can investigate Earth's geological features and better understand its complex systems.
Brian Cox and Robin Ince slice deep into the lesser-explored world beneath us. To join them on the journey from the crust to the core they are joined by seismologist Ana Ferreira, geologist Chris Jackson and comedian Phil Wang.
School children learn about the make-up of the Earth with an image depicting the Earth's core, mantle and crust layered neatly on top of each other, but is this an oversimplification? Our experts reveal that the Earth's innards are less uniform than we might think and mysteries still abound, including the make-up of some continental-sized blobs deep inside the Earth. We learn about the incredible heat and pressure as we descend and why that has limited how far humans have been able to explore these deep realms first-hand. We explore the chemistry of the interactions between the Earth layers and how they influence the formation of continental plates and volcanoes. Phil has an existential crisis about falling inside gaps between the plates but is reassured his worries are unfounded as Ana explains the latest techniques being used to understand the world deep beneath us.
Producer: Melanie Brown
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Researcher: Olivia Jani
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