The ground beneath your feet may feel solid, but Earth is constantly shifting. While we have mapped the surface in detail, its deep interior remains a mystery. Even with modern technology, no probe has ever reached beyond the thin crust, which is only about 35 kilometers deep. To study the Earth's core and mantle, scientists must rely on indirect methods.
From space, Earth appears as a smooth blue sphere, but its shape is far from perfect. Beneath the surface, unevenly distributed mass creates gravitational variations, distorting its form. The movement of tectonic plates further reshapes the planet, building mountains, carving valleys, and adding to its irregularity.
These distortions extend to the oceans, which cover 71% of the surface. Without tides or currents, seawater would settle into a shape known as a geoid—a wavy, gravity-defined surface. Some areas rise where gravity is stronger, while others dip where it is weaker. These variations, called "geoid anomalies," reveal how mass is distributed deep within the Earth.
China Freaked Out: The Navy Surfaced 3 Missile Submarines Simultaneously
What history has shown in recent decades is that military posturing has become an integral part of how countries deal with one another.
According to Forrest Morgan, an analyst for the RAND Corporation, such actions all point to what is known as “crisis stability”—the “building and posturing forces in ways that allow a state, if confronted, to avoid war without backing down.”
Showcasing Might in Pacific
One particular example Morgan sheds light on is when the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class SSGNs surfaced in the Pacific more than a decade ago.
“In July 2010, three SSGNs surfaced nearly simultaneously in Western Pacific and Indian Ocean waters, allegedly to signal U.S. displeasure over Chinese missile tests in the East China Sea,” he writes.
This caught the attention of plenty of local reporters as well.
“The appearance of the USS Michigan in Pusan, South Korea, the USS Ohio in Subic Bay, in The Philippines and the USS Florida in the strategic Indian Ocean outpost of Diego Garcia not only reflects the trend of escalating submarine activity in East Asia, but carries another threat as well,” Greg Torode reported for the South China Morning Post.
“Between them, the three submarines can carry four hundred sixty-two Tomahawks, boosting by an estimated 60 percent-plus the potential Tomahawk strike force of the entire Japanese-based Seventh Fleet—the core projection of U.S. military power in East Asia. One veteran Asian military attaché, who keeps close ties with both Chinese and U.S. forces, noted that four hundred sixty-odd Tomahawks is a huge amount of potential firepower in anybody’s language,” he continued.
The reporter concluded that “it is another sign that the U.S. is determined to not just maintain its military dominance in Asia, but to be seen doing so—that is a message for Beijing and for everybody else, whether you are a U.S. ally or a nation sitting on the fence. READ MORE...
