If I Were Able to Dig a Hole from the U.S. Through the Center of the Earth, What Part of China Would I End Up In?

Understanding the Concept of Antipodes

If we consider the concept of digging straight through the Earth from a location in the United States, it is essential to understand the geographical phenomenon known as antipodes. Antipodes are pairs of points that are diametrically opposite to each other on the surface of a sphere, in this case, the Earth.

The Journey Through the Earth

When you dig straight down from the U.S., you will eventually reach the Earth’s center and then continue in a straight line until you emerge on the opposite side of the globe. However, the U.S. is located in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you were to dig through the center of the Earth, you would end up in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Destination: Indian Ocean

To visualize this, if you were to take a globe and place it in your hand with the U.S. facing down (or resting on your palm), the point that is directly opposite the U.S. would be located in the Indian Ocean, specifically southwest of Australia. This means that your digging expedition would not lead you anywhere near China.

Alternative Starting Points

If you are determined to reach China, you would need to start your journey from Argentina. This is because Argentina is one of the few locations where the antipodal point leads closer to regions in China.

Practical Considerations

While this exercise is intriguing, it is important to note that digging such a tunnel through the Earth is purely hypothetical. The conditions at the Earth’s core are extreme, with temperatures reaching approximately $9800^\circ \text{F}$ and pressures about $4$ million times greater than at the Earth’s surface. According to D. Alfe in his paper “The ab initio Simulation of the Earth’s Core”, no current technology can withstand these conditions.

Additionally, for context, the English Channel Tunnel, which spans $31$ miles underground, took $6$ years to construct. If we were to extrapolate this timeframe to a hypothetical tunnel through the Earth, at the same construction rate, it would take approximately $1600$ years to complete.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you were to dig a hole from the U.S. straight through the center of the Earth, you would not end up in China, but rather in the Indian Ocean. If reaching China is your goal, you would have to start from Argentina instead.