Where Would You End Up If You Dug Straight Down From Grand Junction?
Not that there's any reason to leave Colorado, but if you could dig to the other side of the world, just where would that be?
As children, the sky is the limit for imagination, but once you reach adulthood, those far-off questions you used to ponder fade away.
Revisiting An Old Mission
Many of us used to believe that if we just dug hard enough and long enough that we could potentially reach China!
I'm not exactly sure why China was the destination for every kid across the U.S., but it was definitely the place to dig to.
In reality, we know now that it would be impossible to dig through Earth to reach the other side of the world, but it's still fun to think, "what if?"
Grand Junction, Colorado's Antipode
Have you ever heard of an antipode? According to Merriam-Webster, an antipode is:
the parts of the earth diametrically opposite.
Basically, if you were to dig straight down from Grand Junction, you would end up at its antipode.
There's actually an antipode map that determines the exact antipode for whatever location you chose and it's super interesting!
According to this map, Grand Junction's antipode would actually be located in the Indian Ocean.
Where to Dig From in the World to Get to China
If you're still wondering where you would have to dig from to get to China, you may be saddened to hear that there's actually no place in the U.S. to do so.
According to BusinessInsider, in order to dig to China, you would have to start from either Chile or Argentina. Of course, there are several other factors that would prohibit that, but at least now you know! An age-old mystery solved.