Crack in the World

An international team begins drilling a deep hole toward the Earth's core in Tanganyika, Africa, hoping to tap geothermal energy. They face a nearly impenetrable barrier of dense material that resists penetration. The plan becomes to detonate an atomic device at the bottom to burn through and reach the magma beneath.

Dr. Stephen Sorenson, secretly dying of cancer, leads the project and argues for detonating the device to break the barrier. His rival, Dr. Ted Rampion, contends the plan is reckless and dangerous. The clash between ambition and caution sets the tone for the mission's perilous path.

Rampion presents his risk assessment: decades of underground testing may have weakened the crust, so the blast could trigger a planet-spanning crack. He warns that such a fracture could threaten Earth's stability far beyond the immediate project. The proposal proceeds amid rising global scrutiny.

At the bottom of the borehole, the atomic device is detonated. The blast immediately interacts with an underground hydrogen pocket, turning the explosion into a colossal thermonuclear event. The dense barrier shatters and a crack begins to race through the crust.

Sorenson discovers a vast underground hydrogen reservoir that amplifies the explosion, making it far more powerful than planned. The amplified blast drives a rapidly expanding crack along the planet's fault lines. The team realizes the catastrophe could extend far beyond their drilling site.

Seismic shocks ripple across continents as the crack advances, triggering tsunamis that devastate coastal regions. Governments scramble to respond while infrastructure buckles under the seismic pressure. The world recognizes that the disaster is unfolding on a planetary scale.

Rampion warns a global leadership committee that the crack could encircle the Earth, potentially causing the landmasses to split and oceans to be sucked inward, generating dangerous steam pressures. The warning heightens political urgency and fear as leaders debate containment. The mission's fate now hinges on whether the disaster can still be halted.

A second atomic device is lowered into the magma chamber of an island volcano along the crack's path to alter its trajectory. The blast redirects the fracture rather than stopping it, buying time but not ending the threat. Vivid red glow and shockwaves mark the detonation as the crack shifts direction.

As the crack nears its origin, a massive segment of the planet along the fault line seems ready to be ripped away. Sorenson remains in the underground control center to monitor and record the unfolding event. The team braces for the worst as time runs out.

Maggie Sorenson, Sorenson's wife, and Rampion barely escape the site with others, then watch from a distance as the crack culminates in the fiery birth of a second moon. The cosmic event alters the disaster's trajectory and eases the immediate threat. Earth survives to endure the aftermath.

The fiery birth of the second moon interrupts the catastrophe, and the crack stops near its origin, sparing Earth from total destruction. Sorenson remains at the underground center to record the historic moment. The team breathes a cautious sigh of relief as the planet stabilizes.

In the wake of the disaster, humanity surveys the damage and contemplates the dangers of meddling with the planet's interior. Survivors begin rebuilding while reassessing the ethical limits of scientific power. The story closes on a note of caution about responsibility and the hidden depths beneath the surface.