Into the Heart of Our World: A Journey to the Center of the Earth; A Remarkable Voyage of Scientific Discovery

Guided by the most up-to-date scientific findings, British science journalist Whitehouse (Renaissance Genius) commands an imagined voyage into Earth’s interior. He frames his journey with Jules Verne’s 1864 novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and interweaves elements of Verne’s work into his own narrative. After a quick discussion of Verne’s life and oeuvre, Whitehouse presents a quick synopsis of our current understanding of the Earth’s layers and then descends into the Earth’s crust as far as he is physically able—in his case, going down into the Boulby potash mine in northeast England. Filling his pages with curious facts, brief biographies, and scientific theories about Earth’s inner structure, Whitehouse proffers explanations of Earth’s formation, the origin of the Moon, and more. For instance, he thoroughly discusses the Earth’s magnetic field, reassuring readers that a flip of the field—which last happened about 41,000 years ago—is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Whitehouse surveys the baffling nature of Earth’s solid core and concludes his work, fittingly, with discussions of the planet’s possible demise as well as those of other planets near and far. This is a fascinating investigation of geologic history. Illus. Agent: Jessica Purdue, Orion Publishing. (Feb.)