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1. The open polar sea  2. The north pole controversy  3. Polar land coverup?  4. Flights of fancy  5. Auroras and the poles  References Part 4: Mythology, Paradise, and the Inner World  1. The Imperishable Sacred Land  2. Shambhala  3. A northern paradise  4. Inner kingdoms  References 
Part 1: The Solid Earth Hypothesis
1. The standard earth model
Our direct knowledge of the earth's interior is minuscule. The earth has a radiusof about 6370 km, but the deepest scientific borehole ever drilled is only 12 km.To put this in perspective: if the earth were reduced to a tabletop globe 50centimetres (20 inches) in diameter, the portion accessible to direct observationthrough the deepest borehole would be the equivalent of a very thin skin lessthan 1 millimetre (0.04 inch) thick. In other words, scientists have barelyscratched the surface of our globe.Nevertheless, over the past 100 years or so, geoscientists have put together adetailed picture of the earth's interior based largely on
indirect 
evidence -- mainlythe behaviour of seismic waves that travel through the earth [1]. The earth'sinterior is believed to consist of several concentric spheres: an outer solid crust,averaging 7 km thick beneath oceans and 35 km beneath continents; a mainlysolid mantle extending to a depth of 2900 km; an outer core of liquid ironextending to a depth of 5150 km; and an inner core of solid iron, with a radius ofabout 1220 km.
 
 
Figure.
The standard model of the earth's interior [2].Whenever an earthquake occurs, seismic waves spread out from the focus inall directions. Three types of waves are distinguished: surface waves, bodywaves, and free oscillations (vibrations of the entire planet). Instead of travellingin straight lines, body waves are reflected and refracted (bent), depending on thedensity, pressure, and elasticity of the different layers of rock through which theypass. On the basis of the time taken by different types of waves from specificearthquakes to reach different parts of the earth's surface, seismologists try towork out the precise path the waves have taken, the changes in velocity theyhave undergone at different depths, and the density and composition of the earthat different depths. Nowadays this is done with the help of supercomputers.Raypaths are immensely complex; waves may undergo multiple reflectionsand refractions, and their paths are further complicated by the fact that lateralheterogeneity exists at every depth in the earth. This is directly indicated by thescatter in seismic-wave arrival times at all distances from the source. Seismictomography, which seeks to image the three-dimensional structure of the earth,
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Light Seeker

Taken alone it could be considered speculation, but taken with the great volume of other verified historical facts is another matter. Fools deride, phiosophers investigate.

reply05 / 27 / 2009
free2009all

'Knowledge'? It's speculation wrapped in assumption inside absurdity.

reply05 / 26 / 2009
Zander18

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reply05 / 19 / 2009
edselman

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reply04 / 17 / 2009
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