Journey to the Centre of the Earth · Jules Verne, 1864

How deep did they go in Journey to the Centre of the Earth?

~140km

About 140 km down, at the Lidenbrock Sea: eleven times deeper than the deepest hole ever drilled, and 2% of the way to the centre.

See the Lidenbrock Sea
For scale
The Lidenbrock Sea 140 kmWhere Axel got lost 120 kmEarth's crust, average 35 kmUnder the Atlantic 19 kmKola borehole, deepest hole 12.3 kmMariana Trench 10.9 km

From the bookThe map's guessReal world

They never get near the centre. By 7 August they are thirty leagues down, about 120 km if a league is 4 km, and that is where Axel gets lost. The underground sea is a bit deeper again.

The 140 km is approximate: it is Lidenbrock's figure as remembered and rounded for this map, not a quote. The depth they pass under the Atlantic, about 19 km, is an estimate too.

Real rock at 140 km is around 1,300 °C. Verne knew the heat argument and has Lidenbrock wave it away.

See the Lidenbrock Sea

More about Journey to the Centre of the Earth