Discovering the “Inner Beauty” of the Earth

To type"aerial photography" as the keyword in a search engine， we can easily find a lot of amazing photos： huge cavesare hidden under the sea， causing the color of the sea becomes deeper，so deep that it looks like an eye staring at the sky； a procession of camels march on the dunes， throwing a long black silhouette on the sand； the river containing mineralsflow into the sea， and the land around which is like a magnificent picture； the erosion of glaciers and waves day after day adds roughness to the coast ...

Many of these photographs help thousands of people living in the city's concrete to understand the richness of the planet. As the ancient Chinese travelers described in the travelogue， the breath-taking scenery is often hidden in the dangerous places. Today， modern science has given more and more detailed descriptions on the surface of the planet， and even some of the most isolated islands are no longer mysterious. The mystery of the landscape has vanished， with its history being revealed in detail.

But in the process of understanding more， we are also faced with more and more new puzzles. The study and adventureof the cave enable us to see the inner beauty of this planet， which is unaccessible by aerial photographs； the internal environment and even creatures inside the cave bring enlightenment to more research fields. The rolling mountains witness the movement of the Earth's plate， and when the mountaineers challenge a peak after a peak， scientists are also climbing on the top of academic mountains. There are also secrets inside the hard-to-reach deep sea； the "black smoker" brings mineral resources， and nourishes a large number of unique lives.

However， despite the outstanding achievements， we have only been able to scratch the “surface” of the inside of this planet. This sentence is by no means a metaphor， because so far， the deepest drilling depth of scientific research is only about 10 km. Those who do not know much about geoscience may think that the core has been drilled； but in fact， the drilling which exhausted humans engineering and technical reserves hasnt reached the bottom of the crust. And behind the thin layer of the crust， there are thick mantles， which are blind spots that can only been investigated bycircumstantial evidence.

We have no idea how long it will takeus to make a "three-dimensional portrait" for the earth as we draw the whole picture of the earth's surface. This work is full of challenges， yet remains the very direction that humans work toward. This is because， in the vast universe， the earth is so far the only planet habitable for humans. Only by fully investigating its "inside" can we make better use of the internal resources inside the earth， which may help to alleviate the current crisis facing mankind， and prevent some geological disasters.

In Knowledge is Power this month， we will see the complex and diverse landforms and geological formations in the world. Caves， mountains， plateaus， glaciers and even deserts are the best lessons we can learn about Mother Earth. Let us feel the "inner beauty" of the Earth and listen to the “heartbeat”of the home with the purpose of exploration and seeking the truth.