If you want to get to the opposite end of the world,
如果你想到达世界的另一端
it’s a hike. About 20,000 kilometers.
走路的话 大概是20000公里
But what if you didn’t have to travel across the surface?
但要是你不必沿地球表面走呢
What if you could dig straight through to the other side?
要是你能够挖个洞直通另一侧呢
如果你试着挖洞去中国 会遇到什么情况呢
If you’re trying to dig to China from the US,
假如你试图从美国挖洞到达中国
there’s something you should know first.
有件事你必须先知道
The opposite point on the planet isn’t in China.
地球的另一端并不是中国
It’s somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
而是印度洋中部的某个地方
So, to get to China,
所以 如果去中国
you should start digging in either Argentina or Chile.
你应该从阿根廷或者智利开始挖
Your first challenge would be
你面临的第一个挑战是
digging through the Earth’s crust.
挖通地壳
It’s the thinnest of Earth’s three main layers,
地壳是地球三个主要构造层中最薄的一层
yet humans have never drilled all the way through it.
但迄今为止 人类还没有钻穿它
As you descend,
继续深入
you’d soon reach the depth of the Paris Catacombs,
你很快会达到巴黎地下墓穴的深处
the deepest metro station, and the devil worm,
最深的地铁站 还有魔鬼蠕虫
the deepest animal we’ve ever discovered underground.
这是我们目前在地下最深处发现的生物
Then, it would start to get hot.
然后 温度逐渐高起来
At 4,000 meters down,
在4000米的地下
you’d pass the deepest mine on the planet,
你将通过地球上最深的煤矿
which is cooled with ice to make workers comfortable,
煤矿是用冰来冷却 让工人感觉舒适
because, down here,
因为到这样的深度
temperatures are 60 degrees Celsius.
温度可达60摄氏度
By 8,800 meters, you’ll be as deep as Mt. Everest is tall,
到了8800米 如同珠穆朗玛峰高的深度
but it’s still not the deepest point humans have ever dug.
但这还不是人类曾经挖掘到的最深处
That point is at the bottom of the Kola Superdeep Borehole,
最深处在科拉超深钻的底端
at 12,260 meters below the surface.
在地表下12260米处
Down here, there’s 4,000 times more pressure than at sea level,
在这里 压力是海平面处的4000多倍
and temperatures push 180 degrees Celsius,
温度逼近180摄氏度
so you’d need a lot of insulation
所以你需要大量的隔热材料
to carry on and keep from melting.
以确保继续往下挖 而不会被熔化
At around 40,000 meters, you’d reach Earth’s second
大概在40000米时 你会到达地球的第二层
and largest layer, the mantle,
也是最大的一层 地幔
which makes up a whopping 84% of the planet’s volume.
地幔组成了地球上84%以上的巨大体积
Near the border,
靠近地幔边缘
temperatures climb to around 1,000 degrees Celsius,
温度上升到约1000摄氏度
hot enough to melt many metals,
热度足以熔化许多的金属
like silver, but not a steel drill.
如银 但不会熔化钢钻
And good thing because you’ll need it
这是好事 因为你还需要它
to drill through the first part of the mantle,
去钻穿地幔的第一部分
which is made of solid rock,
这一部分是由坚硬的岩石构成
until you reach 100,000 meters, that is,
直到到达100000米 那才是
when you might need to switch to a propeller.
你可能需要换成螺旋桨来推进的地方
Here, the pressure and temperature are so high that,
这里 压力和温度是如此之高
in some places, rock takes on a caramel-like consistency.
以至于在某些地方 岩石变得像粘稠的“焦糖”
In fact, it’s this rock that ultimately erupts
事实上 最终就是这种岩浆
from volcanoes on the surface.
从地表的火山上喷出
At 150,000 meters, keep your eyes peeled for diamonds.
在150000米 睁大眼睛找找钻石
They form when heat and pressure
在这个区域 它们是由热度和压力
restructure the carbon atoms in this region.
迫使碳原子重组而形成的
Once you reach 410,000 meters, the rock is solid again,
一旦到达41万米深处 岩石又再次变为固态
so it’s back to the drill.
所以又要用回钢钻
You see, while it’s still plenty hot
你看 尽管在此深度仍然很热
at this depth to melt rock,
足以熔化岩石
the pressure is so extreme that the molecules inside
但压力也很高 以至于岩石内的分子
literally can’t move into a liquid state.
根本无法形成液态
Then, by 3 million meters down,
在300万米以下
you’d reach Earth’s third layer, the outer core.
你到达了地球的第三构层 地核外表
Unlike Earth’s crust and mantle,
和地壳 地幔不同
the core is made of iron and nickel.
地核是由铁和镍构成
Temperatures here are the same as the surface of the sun,
这里的温度与太阳表面相同
hot enough to melt all that metal,
热度足以熔化任何金属
so, yep, back to the propeller.
所以 是的 用回螺旋桨吧
And it would have to be made out of some kind of supermaterial,
但这螺旋桨必须是由某些超级材料制成的
because no known element has a melting point
因为没有已知元素的熔点
above 6,000 degrees Celsius.
能超过6000摄氏度
Making matters worse, the outer core also has low gravity,
更糟糕的是 地核外围引力也很低
because, when you’re that deep,
因为 当你达到那个深度
much of the planet’s mass is now above you,
地球的多数质量现在都在你的上方
which produces a gravitational force
这些质量产生了
that pulls away from the center.
从中心向外拉的引力
So to continue,
所以如果继续下去
you’d need a super heat- and pressure-proof submarine
你需要一艘超级耐热 耐压的“潜水艇”
that moves like rockets in space
这种“潜艇”需要像太空火箭那样
by shooting fuel out the back end.
从尾端喷射燃料推进
You’d soon arrive at the inner core,
这样你很快就会到达地核内部
around 5 million meters below the surface.
大约是在地球表面500万米以下
The inner core is one giant sphere of solid iron,
地核内部是一个巨大的固体铁球
so it would definitely be challenging to get through.
所以 若要凿通它绝对会是一种挑战
But if you did find a way,
但是如果找到某种方法
you’d soon hit the halfway point,
你很快就会抵达地核的中点
about 6.4 million meters down,
大约640万米之下
also known as the center of the Earth.
也称之为地心
Now, there’s nearly the same amount of mass all around you,
现在 几乎是等量的地球质量包围着你
pulling you equally in all directions,
在各个方向上均衡的拉着你
so there’s zero gravity here.
所以 这里没有地心引力
And now is when the trip really gets hard. The second half.
后半程 才是真正遇到艰难的时候
Because as you dig past the inner core,
因为你钻过了地心
you’d soon feel the pull of gravity again.
很快就会重新感觉到地心引力的作用
And this time, it’d be pulling you from above,
不过这次 它会从上方作用于你
where the majority of Earth’s mass is now.
来自地球大部分质量的地方
So while you might be digging down,
所以 尽管你可能是
relative to where you started,
从相对于起点的地方往下挖
it’ll feel like you’re climbing up.
但感觉就像正在向上攀爬
And if you didn’t have those handy rockets propelling you,
如果没有强力火箭推进
you’d fall right back to the core.
你将再次掉落地心
But 6.4 million meters later,
但是在640万米之后
after powering through impenetrable iron,
在强力通过坚不可摧的铁
molten alloy, and solid and mushy rock,
熔融合金 以及坚硬而泥泞的岩石之后
you’d arrive, at long last, on the other side, in China.
你终于到达了地球另一边 中国
That would certainly come as a relief,
这一刻肯定是一种解脱
but it wouldn’t even be the best part.
但是它并不是最精彩的部分
Assuming you left a tunnel through the center of the Earth behind you,
假设在你身后 留下了一条穿过地心的隧道
you’d now be able to travel back and forth
你现在可以在一小时内
between China and Argentina in under an hour,
在中国和阿根廷之间来回旅行
simply by jumping in.
简简单单 只要跳进去就好
To learn why, check out another video we made
想知道为什么吗 查看我们制作的另一个视频吧
about jumping through the center of the Earth.
关于跳越地心的视频