One-Minute Physics: How to travel through the Earth

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

Instead of flying around the Earth, what if you could take a short cut by travelling through it?

A new animation by Henry Reich illustrates what would happen if you drilled a tunnel through the Earth and jumped in. Due to the Coriolis effect, you probably wouldn't get very far, although a passage connecting the poles could be more promising.

The video isn't purely theoretical: there have been several attempts at drilling through the Earth, although geologists have not yet managed to penetrate beyond the crust. However, a new mission, Project Mohole, hopes to reach the mantle to get a better understanding of how our planet evolved and to try and determine the limits of life.

If you enjoyed this animation, check out an extended version that also looks at what would happen if the Earth were hollow. Or watch our previous One-Minute Physics episodes to find out, for example, why the Higgs is the missing link or why planets can orbit only in 3D.