History of the Earth as a planet is one of the most debatable issues. Scientists are still uncertain about major points. For examples, it is unclear when the planet was formed, what exactly caused its formation and how life appeared on the Earth. However, the majority of researchers agree on major assumptions which are known as the big bang theory.
Thus, it is believed that the Earth was formed more than four billion years ago. The planet was formed in the process of concretion of solar nebula. Admittedly, there was no atmosphere then and there was hardly the core. It took millions of years for the Earth to molten and form.
However, even when the planet formed, there was no life on it. It is believed that a large collision caused the Earth’s angle changed. It also led to creation of the Moon. The changed angle of the planet made it possible for the Earth to cool and the crust was formed.
First, there were rocks and water on the planet. More than 3 billion years ago, first life appeared on the planet. Those were microbes which existed in the water.
Only two billion years ago, photosynthetic organisms appeared. They enriched the planet with oxygen and this was the start of the further development of organisms. First organisms were microscopic, but they evolved into more complex ones and were eventually ready to live out of the water, which led to development of new species.
It is necessary to note that continents were forming (and even now they are not still) due to the flow of heat from the core of the planet to its surface. It is necessary to note that the Earth is still evolving and the process of change has not stopped.
Scientific Merit of The Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
The film in question is an interesting and quite spectacular science fiction Hollywood work, but it has little scientific merit. There are far too many things which are impossible.
One of the least plausible things is that three people with almost no equipment could fall into a hole and travel to the center of the Earth within seconds and could remain unharmed. Apart from such goofs as working equipment after decades without proper maintenance or people falling down and having safe landing, there are numerous ‘geologic’ errors.
First of all, the temperature in the center of the Earth is extremely high, which can be proved by numerous volcanic eruptions and the whole theory of continents creation. Clearly, there can hardly be a world with flora and fauna with such high temperatures. More so, the core of the Earth cannot be shallow. The core is formed by solar nebular, so it is metallic.
Admittedly, people cannot simply fall into a hole to find themselves in the core of the Earth as after the crust there are two layers of mantle and the outer core. Any pathways through these layers are impossible due to high temperatures and the fact that mantle and outer core are liquid. The life as it is shown in the film could not exist due to high levels of radiation as well.
On balance, it is possible to note that the film has little to do with science and real life. The center of the Earth is a solid metallic core which is thousands of kilometers away from the crust. The life could not exist there due to radiation, high temperatures, the nature of the inner layers and lots of other factors.