For centuries, legends and folklore around the world have told tales of vast underground realms hidden deep within the earth. From the mythic Inner World inhabited by supernatural beings to secret passageways leading to hidden civilizations, the idea of a hollow earth has captivated the imagination for generations. But is it all merely fiction and fantasy, or could the planet we call home actually contain vast inner spaces waiting to be explored? In this article, we will examine the intriguing evidence and theories that suggest the earth may indeed be hollow, and even home to advanced underground civilizations. As well as, looking at some possible North American entrance to hallow Earth.
The Hollow Earth Hypothesis
The central idea behind the hollow earth theory is that planet Earth is either entirely hollow or contains substantial interior spaces. Theories range from the earth containing several hollow areas inside its crust to the conception of a vast underground world entered through polar openings. Some proponents believe the interior spaces are inhabited by humanoid or even supernatural beings with advanced knowledge and technology. Others suggest there may be entrances hidden around the globe that lead to these inner realms.
The concept of a hollow earth has circulated for centuries, with some of the earliest references appearing in ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Mesoamerican folklore. In the 17th century, British astronomer Edmund Halley proposed the earth consisted of several hollow concentric spheres, each with its own atmosphere. Moving into the 19th century, eccentric thinker John Cleves Symmes promoted the idea of openings at the poles leading to an inner world, inspiring fictional tales like Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. In more recent times, writers like Raymond Bernard have expanded on theories of a hollow earth inhabited by advanced spiritually enlightened beings.
So what evidence lends credence to the possibility that our familiar outer earth may just be a shell containing a strange and unexplored inner realm? Let’s examine some of the key areas that have fueled speculation through the years.
Polar Mysteries – Clues of the North and South
Theories of hollow earth often point to the poles as areas where openings might exist leading to inner worlds. The North and South poles hold many curious facts that hollow earth proponents say could be indicative of something unusual hidden beneath the surface ice. For one, why have no humans ever been allowed to independently explore or traverse Antarctica or the Arctic Ocean north of a certain line? What might world governments know about these extreme polar regions that they don’t want revealed?
Some hollow earth believers point to anomalies in polar explorations, such as Operation Highjump in 1947. Led by Admiral Richard Byrd, the well-equipped American expedition into Antarctica ended abruptly after only a few weeks with Byrd mentioning in his diary a potential “land beyond the South Pole” that could be “an enchanted continent in the sky, land of everlasting mystery.” Was Byrd deliberately silent about an incredible discovery in the Antarctic interior?
In the north, mysterious expeditions have aimed for the North Pole only to go missing or experience catastrophes such as the disappearance of the USS Skate submarine in 1962 after traveling to the pole area. These and other strange polar occurrences have fueled speculation about what secrets may lurk at the earth’s extremities.
Gravity Anomalies and the Hollow Earth
Scientific measurements of gravity and the magnetic fields around the poles also point to possible hidden caverns deep inside the earth. Gravity has been shown to be significantly weaker in areas close to the polar regions than it should be based on standard models of Earth’s interior. No one has been able to adequately explain these gravitational anomalies using conventional solid earth theory. On the other hand, if the assumption is made that openings exist from the poles into hollow inner earth spaces, the anomalies begin to make sense.
Similarly, magnetic fields in the polar areas do not conform to expected patterns, with drifting and unaccountable north-south aberrations that often require recalibration of navigation equipment on airplanes and ships. Changing magnetic fields could be produced by electromagnetic activity inside the earth interacting with the open polar entrances. Again, this fits with hollow earth theory whereas the conventional idea of earth as a solid spinning ball has no reasonable explanation for such odd polar magnetic behavior.
Mysterious Lost Civilizations and Inner Earth Beings
Legends from around the world speak of lost civilizations that disappeared below ground or from islands that sank into the sea to become hidden worlds. The Mayans told of the people preceding their culture descending into the mysterious underground realm of Xibalba. Native Americans spoke of the lost continent of Azatlan that became submerged underwater. Are these simply myths or cultural memories of ancient societies that managed to enter the legendary inner earth kingdoms?
Some hollow earth theorists believe the inner earth is home to strange beings with advanced intelligence. These could be advanced human descendants of past surface civilizations now living in secret in inner earth caverns. Or they might be supernatural or extraterrestrial in nature. The Nazis were rumored to have mounted expeditions to Antarctica and other polar regions in search of entrances to these hidden worlds and make contact with the inhabitants said to dwell within the earth. The possibility remains these stories and conjectures may have a core of truth centering around a secret inner earth reality.
Potential Hollow Earth Entry Points in North America
If the earth is hollow, where exactly are the passageways and entrances leading to mysterious inner worlds? While polar openings could play a role, there are also indications of hidden entry points all around the globe, including some potentially right here in North America. Here are a few speculated locations that have surfaced repeatedly as potential gateways to a hollow earth.
Mount Shasta in Northern California is said to contain secret caverns leading inside the earth as well as hiding the hidden city Shambhala inhabited by an advanced inner earth civilization. Local legends speak of a now lost river canyon once near Shasta that descended deep into the earth and could enable entry past the surface crust. An extinct volcano, Mount Shasta shows evidence of immense underground tunnels and caverns, making it one of the most supported hollow earth access points.
The Grand Canyon in Arizona contains miles of unexplored, difficult to access caves winding through its towering walls. Archeological discoveries indicate ancient civilizations inhabited these caverns and tunnels using them as shelter and transportation routes. Does the vast Grand Canyon system link up to inner earth realms deep below the Colorado riverbed? Some researchers believe the elevators inside the Great Canyon Caverns might descend further than known, hiding tunnels into hollow earth.
Canada’s Great Slave Lake was identified by early hollow earth theorist John Cleves Symmes as a possible northern access point to our planet’s hidden interior. The enormous and deep lake is shrouded in mystery and legends of a lost subterranean city beneath its cold waters. Magnetic and gravity anomalies have been reported around Great Slave Lake, fueling speculation that something unexplained occupies the seemingly bottomless depths below. Is an entrance to inner earth realms waiting to be uncovered in this Canadian lake?
The Mammoth Cave System of Kentucky is the largest known cave network in the world spanning over 400 miles of mapped tunnels and caverns. Despite its immense scale, only a fraction of the caves have been studied by modern science. Legends say the original indigenous tribes of the region believed Mammoth Cave led to the inner earth, warning that deep cave exploration was fraught with danger and required guidance from spirit beings. Does this extensive, still largely unexplored labyrinth hold secrets of inner earth access and inhabitance?
Yellowstone National Park sits atop one of the most seismically active locations in North America. The boiling springs and molten caverns just below Yellowstone’s surface point to the potential for the area to contain deeper chambers and passageways below the earth’s crust. Yellowstone demonstrates how a geologically volatile area might produce openings and pathways to hidden inner earth domains potentially hosting underground civilizations. While Yellowstone’s secrets remain well-guarded, hollow earth truth seekers propose it as a location likely harboring inner earth access.
The Mystery Continues
The hypothesized existence of a hollow earth remains one of the world’s most intriguing mysteries and sources of speculation. While theories of the earth containing vast inner spaces and civilizations have captured thinkers for centuries, modern science believes they are likely only fodder for science fiction. Yet the anomalies, stories, and clues of an unconventional reality existing below continue to fascinate. As one ancient proverb states: “The earth is hollow, and the sky is hollow, and they are each joined to the other.” Will future expeditions one day uncover the hidden truth of these words and reveal the planet we inhabit is far more than meets the eye? The call of the inner earth still beckons, waiting to share its secrets.