Have you ever thought of this question; “how many miles to the center of the earth?” That seems like a simple question but there is more to it.
According to science, the center of the earth is about 6,371km away from the earth’s surface. If you say it like that, it sounds unreasonable until you understand the concept surrounding the earth’s core.
You might not know but there are so many things about this our planet (Earth) that science can only explain based on theories. There is no physical proof. Just theories and the Earth’s core is one of them.
Where is the center of the earth?
The center of the earth or Earth’s core as it is rightly called is a very hot dense ball-shaped structure beneath the earth’s crust. This structure is believed to be reaching temperatures over 5000°C.
In a layman’s explanation, I will say the earth is like a bulb of onion with layers. Should the earth be split in half, there will likely be seven layers at least.
There is the ocean with the Continental Crust beneath it. Then there is a solid layer known as the Lithosphere covering another layer called Asthenosphere. From these layers, you will start getting to the hottest part of the earth.
There is the Upper Mantle followed by the Lower Mantle which is quite thicker compared to the other layers. From the Mantles, you will get to the Outer Core and the main core which is the Inner Core.
Do you know how thick the earth is? There is this article titled; “How thick is earth?” Read it to gain more insights into the thickness of the earth.
How Many Miles To The Center Of The Earth?
How many miles to the center of the earth? If that is your question, then I can gladly say the core is about 1802 Miles below the earth’s surface. It also has about 2,165 Miles radius.
To reach the center of the earth which is the center of the Inner Core, you will have to drill about some 3,967 Miles long distance. That is roughly 6,384 Kilometres away from the surface.
About 20,944,882 ft of drilling is required to reach the center of the earth. Do not forget the rock-solid layers of the planet and some of the hottest temperatures you have to deal with to reach the core.
Deepest hole on earth
The deepest hole according to history is the Kola Superdeep Borehole – SG 3. According to history, this borehole is 40,230 ft deep from the surface of the earth. That is how far the deepest hole on earth has reached.
The Kola Superdeep Borehole – SG 3 can be found in Russia and is believed to have started in 1970 and finally came to a stop in 1989. As of the time of this article, it still remains the deepest vertical artificial depth on earth.
If that borehole was targeted at reaching the core of the earth, then it will need over 20,900,000 ft more to reach the center of the earth.
FAQs
I will try my best to answer a few questions you might be having about this topic. If you do not find your question here, simply put it below in the comment section and I will answer as early as possible.
The deepest humans have ever reached into the earth is 40,230 ft and that is the Kola Superdeep Borehole – SG3.
Humans will have to dig some 20,944,882 ft deep to be able to reach the center of the earth.
The Kola Superdeep Borehole -SG 3 project was stopped for several reasons. One of the major reasons includes the lack of funds for the continuation of the project. Other reasons include the unexpected discoveries made from the sites.
Temperatures were higher at the drilled depth than scientists predicted.