Here’s what would happen if the Earth were empty.
We’ve never made the journey to the Earth’s core, but we’ve been studying earthquakes and geomagnetic fields long enough to know what’s inside the planet.
The Earth’s core is very dense and hot. But we don’t always understand it well. Figuring out how our Earth works takes time and gives rise to some strange theories.
One scientist even concluded that the Earth is an inverted sphere, with the entire universe hidden within. Hollow Earth is also on the list of possibilities. But how would such a planet survive?
The answer is that it doesn’t exist.
A hollow Earth would collapse inward and become a smaller sphere. The reason why? Because of gravity, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. Gravity would collect every part of the crust into one mass, making a hollow Earth hypothetical impossible. But what’s interesting about that theory?
A hollow Earth would collapse inward and become a smaller sphere.
Let’s assume, somehow the Earth’s crust can float without collapsing inward. Oh, that’s not very nice to us either. Most likely there will be no life on the planet. The first is because there is no atmosphere.
Earth’s atmosphere protects us from the solar wind and cosmic radiation. It needs the planet’s magnetic field and gravity to stay the same. The magnetic field is produced by the Earth’s core, which does not exist in a hollow planet.
No core means no magnetic field, no magnetic field means Earth will become a dead planet.
The hollow Earth will lose most of its mass, since most of the mass is concentrated within the planet’s core and mantle.
We’re not talking about a few kilos, like the extra weight you gained when you last visited your grandparents, but 5.9 trillion trillion tons.
The hollow Earth would weigh less than 0.4% of its current mass. Gravity on a Hollow Earth would be so weak that it wouldn’t be strong enough to keep you steady. You will fly into space, that is if you can survive the solar radiation.
Now, imagine the mass and weight of the hollow Earth is not different from the real Earth. We still have no atmosphere due to the lack of geomagnetic fields, but at least we solve the gravity problem so that you stand on the planet.
The hollow Earth’s surface would be a very barren place. Drilling through the Earth’s crust will be much more difficult because the crust needs to be formed from very dense material to compensate for the mass.
As you dig through the 30km-long crust and enter the planet’s interior, you’ll experience zero gravity. Since gravity on a Hollow Earth comes from the crust, gravity will cancel itself out and no longer affect you. You will float, forever inside the empty planet. Don’t forget to wear a space suit. You will need it to provide oxygen and pressure to maintain respiration until you run out of oxygen.
Drifting inside Earth without a spacesuit would be like stepping into the vacuum of space. You wouldn’t want to go through that at all.