12 models

China syndrome : Asunción and Taipei
by Nicolas

From Wikipedia : The term "China syndrome" describes a nuclear reactor operations accident characterized by the severe meltdown of the core components of the reactor, which then burn through the containment vessel and the housing building, then through the crust of the Earth, until reaching China [...]. The geographic, planet-piercing concept [...] derives from the misperception that China is the antipode of the United States; to Americans, it is “the other side of the world”. In geography, the antipode of any place on Earth is the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it. [...] even if an object were hot enough to melt the crust and fall through to the core, gravity would cause it to remain there. ¤¤¤ The hypothetical nuclear accident was cinematically adapted as The China Syndrome (1979), with Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas. ¤¤¤ You can also find "China syndrome" in the Google Earth API Demo Gallery (among other fun applications) : see the link below. ¤¤¤ Nota : I use several "China syndrome" collections (for towns that are APPROXIMATIVELY "antipodal") : this one is limited to 12 selected models, in Asunción and Taipei. ¤¤¤ Other possible titles : Distant relatives / So far and yet so close ?
http://code.google.com/intl/fr-FR/apis/earth/documentation/demogallery.html

Updated Feb 10, 2013