In Jules Verne’s classic tale, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, a German professor and his nephew follow directions from an ancient manuscript to journey deep into the earth. There, they find a fabulous, but dangerous, maze of seas, larva eruptions, and prehistoric animals.

A sci-fi classic that could not possibly be true!

Science moves on and we now know that deep-down below the mantle lie large amounts of water, liquid rock, and even a real ocean bed.

How could it be?

The bed of the deep ocean has been subducted gradually underground as the tectonic plates (land masses) drifted around. It now forms a distinct layer between the mantle and the liquid core, one that varies from a few- to tens of kilometres thick. And deep down also lies water carried down by the same process.

Today’s science fiction may be tomorrow’s facts.

– Further reading here.