Dig to the Centre of the Earth: An explorer's guide to the world beneath our feet

You are about to embark on a truly epic adventure. You are going to dig to the centre of the Earth.

But you are going to need more than a spade for this mammoth task. Experience the sights of the crust with its hoard of fossils, diamonds and crystal caves. Surf the mantle and watch out for hidden magma chambers. Be the first to arrive at the core and discover what it feels like to be at the heart of the planet we call home.

Written as an explorer's guide and packed with scientific facts about the stuff beneath our feet, this book is guaranteed to inspire any young scientist.

Meet the GeoPod – your mission vehicle. Use the GeoPod to analyse rocks to discover how old they are and what they tell you about Earth's history. Discover the basic Earth vital stats you need to know before you start your journey. Stay on earthquake alert – find out about the world's plates, seismic waves and earthquake zones.

Start your journey from space and learn about the key layers in the Earth's atmosphere. From here you have two entry points to the centre: - Down the throat of a volcano to get to the Earth's mantle, or down through the sea to get to the Earth's crust. Here's where you'll get to tour the Earth's crust – learn about plate boundaries and underwater ocean ridges, discover caves, geysers and go fossil hunting!

Going deeper: Tick off the top three underground experiences in the lithosphere before heading into the magma. This is known as the mantle layer, watch out for Magma chambers! Here you can surf the mantle and find out where the Earth's hotspots are. Then enter the outer core – as you get closer to the centre, you can learn about the Earth's magnetic field; As you approach the inner core you can find out what it's made of, and read some other theories about what's at the centre of the Earth.

Mission accomplished: You made it! How was your trip? Here's some tips for your return journey, and some extra information to keep you going.

Dougal Jerram is the director of DougalEARTH Ltd., and holds a Professor II research position at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics at the University of Oslo. He is known as 'Dr Volcano' from his appearances on the BBC, and he has published extensively in scientific journals, and has written the popular Introducing Volcanology: A Guide to Hot Rocks.