The story was inspired by the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth and was based on a Pertwillaby Papers adventure titled Vortex.

Scrooge McDuck buys the solvent from him, intending on using it for mining, in order to gain the super pure diamonds located in the outer core of the Earth.

However, when journalists at a press conference are unappreciative, an angered Scrooge decides to make an impromptu demonstration of the solvent.

After Donald's nephews explain the potentially catastrophic impact of this act - it would eventually lead to the Earth's destruction by destroying the planet's electromagnetic field and causing the Earth to be bombarded with radioactive solar winds - Scrooge, Donald, and the boys go on a quest down the shaft to retrieve the solvent.

Their platform is also slightly damaged by a falling pebble (which, due to the vacuum having no air to slow it down, was essentially travelling at bullet speed).

Gyro is able to stop the eruption with the Omnisolve umbrella, which causes the magma to be reduced into a super-dense dust that kept falling back on itself.