earths

The United States knows that Venezuela’s subsoil is full of rare earths. The big problem is that he doesn’t know where

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The announcement that American companies could access to Venezuela’s vast oil has reignited a much broader ambition of Donald Trump’s administration. Because the Latin American nation has something that Washington desperately seeks, something that China he has plenty. He crux It’s how and how much. Beyond crude oil. Yes, the “b” side of the North American “landing” in Venezuela also seeks to explore the mineral potential of the country as part of “the national security of the United States.” The experts they point out that, in addition to crude oil, there would be unverified reserves of critical minerals and possible large quantities of rare earths, key inputs for defense and technology. However, the lack of reliable data, doubts about economic viability and operational risks in areas with the presence of armed groups and mining illegality turn the objective into an enterprise. much more complex that the oil reopening itself, with significant environmental impacts associates to energy-intensive mining. The supply chain and the bottleneck. Even if the extraction obstacles were overcome, the decisive challenge appears in processing. The refining of rare earths is concentrated in more than 90% in Chinaa domain constructed for decades through subsidies, industrial expansion and lax environmental regulations. This position has made rare earths a sensitive point of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, with export controls that have highlighted the fragility of American supply chains. The consensus among analysts is that this industrial and geopolitical advantage cannot be reversed quickly, so new deposits without their own refining capacity would contribute little to short-term strategic resilience. Why it is important. It we have counted other times. The classification of “critical minerals” covers a broad set of raw materials essential for the economy and security, from aluminum and copper to a specific group of 17 elements known as rare earths, essential for high-performance magnets, advanced electronics and military systems. Although these elements are not scarce in the Earth’s crust, their extraction and refining are technically demanding and expensive. In the United States there are efforts to develop domestic capabilities, but start-up times are often measured in years or decades, which explains the temptation to look for external solutions that, in practice, rarely offer immediate results. Geological potential and structural limits. It happens that, unlike other countries with confirmed reserves, Venezuela does not appear in international lists as a relevant producer of rare earths, an explained absence for decades of opacity institutional during the governments by Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro. Still, the country is believed to host deposits of coltan and bauxitesources of metals considered critical such as tantalum, niobium, aluminum and gallium. Projects like the Orinoco Mining Arc They sought to capitalize on that potential, but have been marked by illicit mining, lack of investment, a shortage of qualified labor, and a volatile regulatory environment that discourages international operators. A strategic mirage in the medium term. If you like, the final evaluation of the experts is clear: although the Venezuelan subsoil may hide valuable resources, its contribution to the security of supply of the United States it would be marginal on the near horizon. Without solid geological data, without security guarantees and without processing capacity independent of the Chinese circuit, Venezuela’s mineral interest seems more an extension of the geopolitical pulse than a practical solution, at least in the short term. In that context, the American bet faces a paradox: the country offers a lot on paper, but little that can be translated into real advantages over the next decade. Image | Mauricio CampelloRawPixel In Xataka | The US did not need to shoot to enter Caracas. All it took was an invisible weapon and unexpected “help” from Russia In Xataka | While the whole world looks at oil, Venezuela’s true treasure is hidden in the basements of London: its gold

hundreds of tons of rare earths

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During World War II, Nazi Germany built hundreds of bomb shelters as defensive frameworks of the Third Reich to protect the civilian population and critical infrastructure from Allied bombing. After the war, most were abandoned and passed for marginal uses until, decades later, one of them was converted into a high security warehouse. From war to the strategic reserve. At some undisclosed point in Frankfurt, a World War II anti-aircraft bunker, one of those concrete colossi that for decades were urban ruins or spaces converted to leisurehas acquired a new silent feature and deeply political: hosting one of the largest European warehouses of rare earths and critical metals. In the midst of a deterioration in global trade and with Europe facing a strategic dependence that I had been ignoring for years, this underground refuge has been transformed into an extreme security deposit for materials without which modern industry simply does not function. The Chinese shock and the race. The rbunker activation It is not coincidental. Since China tightened in Aprilus restrictions to the export of rare earths and strategic metals (in response to US tariffs), European inventories have remained below minimum. Tradium, one of the two large German importers of these materials, began to buy back stock to private investors and redistribute them directly to European companies in key sectors such as automotive, electronics, energy or defense. The move is reminiscent of a war economy in slow motion: it is not about speculation, but about surviving a prolonged supply disruption. An armored warehouse. The old bunker, renovated since 2011 after the first major warning from Beijing with the embargo on Japan over the Senkaku Islands, offers more than 2,400 square meters storage with different levels of security, protected by solid walls, cameras, opaque blinds and a four-ton armored door that gives access to a windowless chamber. Nikkei counted Inside, hundreds of blue and green drums loaded with neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium or terbium (all of Chinese origin) are lined up along with specialized metals such as gallium, germanium, indium, antimony, rhenium or hafnium. In total, some 300 tons that Tradium It is considered the largest known stock in Europe, although it admits that even larger and more discrete reserves may exist outside its knowledge. Skyrocketing prices. The impact of the chinese lock It is starkly reflected in the prices. Dysprosium has exceeded 900 dollars per kilomore than triple that before the restrictions, while terbium is around the 3,700 dollarsabout four times its previous value. Both are essential for improving the thermal resistance of electric motor magnets, making them critical parts for the electric vehicle industry. However, for European companies, price has taken a backseat: the real problem is the availability. After eight months of non-existent or minimal deliveries, even a half-year strategic stock begins to seem insufficient. Extreme security. The level of protection in the warehouse is such that even in the event of theft, the materials they could not be reintegrated in the industrial chain without certification, which reduces its value outside the legal circuit. In return, customers pay up to 2% annually of the stored value for logistics, which includes insurance. Meanwhile, European diplomacy is trying to buy time: the German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, has traveled to Beijing to negotiate some type of relief, although he himself has acknowledged that there are no clear signs that China will grant general export licenses in the short term. Buried geopolitics. If you also want, the Frankfurt bunker is much more than a warehouse: it is a physical symbol of the extent to which geopolitics has penetrated the bowels of the European economy. Where civilians were once protected from bombings, today they protects the industry of strategic asphyxiation. Thus, the question that floats between drums and concrete walls is not how much rare earths will cost tomorrow, but when will they circulate again normally and whether Europe will arrive in time to build real autonomy before the next supply cut leaves it exposed again. Image | Berlin Wanderlust In Xataka | Germany didn’t know what to do with a dangerous Nazi bunker in the middle of Hamburg. The solution has radically changed the city In Xataka | Germany needs China’s rare earths at any price. And that price is giving you the future of your economy

Someone Has Taken a Look at the Earth’s Vital Signs and Came to a Conclusion: We Should Worry

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Climate change is an emergency that should concern all of us because of the important implications it can have for our daily lives. But when asked how advanced this climate change is, a study wanted to analyze 22 of the 34 planetary ‘vital signs’ such as global temperature, ice mass or ocean heat. and the truth is what should we worry about. Climate chaos. The objective that we must have before us in these cases is to reverse the conditions that are generating great climate change that we are living with summers that every time they are hotter and also longer. That is why it is important to know these signs and also have tools to control them. And although at the moment we do not have good news about the immediate future, the truth is that the experts They suggest that we still have time to reverse some of these critical points. Red numbers. The report confirms that 2024 was the hottest year ever recordedand in Spain we experience it especially with different very intense heat waves. What’s more, scientists say it was probably warmer than the peak of the last interglacial period, approximately 125,000 years ago. But this is not an isolated event. Global warming appears to be accelerating and the impacts are no longer future threats, but rather “here and now.” Among the different points that have been analyzed in this report, some have been highlighted as the most important ones that have surpassed the most dangerous records. The points with the ‘worst grade’. ocean heat reached an all-time high. This extreme heat contributed to the most extensive coral bleaching event ever recorded, affecting 84% of the world’s reefs between early 2023 and May 2025. Ice loss. So far in 2025, the ice masses of Greenland and Antarctica have reached historic lows and scientists warn in this case that the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica could be passing critical tipping points that could commit the planet to rising sea levels. Forest fires. Something especially pronounced in our country, especially this summer, and which results in the loss of a large number of trees and vegetation, which reduces the planet’s ability to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases. Methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide have reached in this case historical figures throughout 2025. The human culprit. The report is clear in pointing out that the “human enterprise” is the driving force of this crisis. The global human population, ruminant livestock and meat consumption are at historic highs, but the most important thing is energy. Although efforts have been made to apply renewable energies as a necessary alternative, the reality is that in 2024 the total consumption of fossil fuels reached a new record. In fact, the consumption of coal, oil and natural gas individually reached their maximum levels, and in total exceeded the consumption of renewable energy by 31 times. The risk that we already have before us. Science, with all this data, point because this acceleration brings us dangerously closer to crossing climate tipping points. This means that they are thresholds that once they are exceeded there is no turning back, allowing loops to be triggered that feed back on themselves, causing an effect called ‘Greenhouse Earth’. But… What does climate change affect? First of all is the risk to biodiversity, with more than 3,500 species that are currently threatened by changes in ecosystems. Something that also adds to the weakening of the circulation of southern overturn of the Atlantica vital ocean current that regulates the global climate which points to ‘abrupt climate disruptions’. There is hope. Although the report may be fatalistic, the reality is that it points to different points where we can improve to reverse or delay fatalistic outcomes. An example is in the rapid elimination of fossil fuels and the adoption of renewable energy, but they also point to the need to protect and restore the ecosystem with an emphasis on primary forests. But food is not far behind, since changing to a diet richer in plants and reducing food waste also makes it possible to reverse this problem. However, the key could not only be technological, but social. The report highlights the power of “social tipping points” – moments when public norms and policies accelerate rapidly. Images | Chris LeBoutillier Matt Palmer In Xataka | In the midst of climate change, cities only have one question to answer: become a sponge or a mousetrap

one will give in on tariffs, the other on rare earths

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Donald Trump and Xi Jinping They have met in BusanSouth Korea, in their first face-to-face meeting in six years. The goal: to see if there was any way to deal with all the chaos of their trade war, one that has shaken global markets and threatened to destabilize the world economy. After shaking hands at Gimhae air base, Trump stated that it was going to be a successful meeting, although he also warned that Xi is “a difficult negotiator.” What has been agreed. After approximately ninety minutes of talks, Trump assured that there would be significant tariff reductions. On the one hand, the president claims that tariffs related to fentanyl will drop from 20% to 10%which would place the total tariff burden on Chinese products at around 47%, compared to the previous 57%. Just like the media points outChina, for its part, has agreed to postpone for a year new restrictions on the export of rare earths processed, critical minerals for sectors such as defense, technology and renewable energies. In addition, Beijing will resume the massive purchase of American soybeans, a relief for North American farmers, tremendously affected by the absence of China in their market this year. Why is it important. This meeting comes after months of commercial escalation which has made investors and allies alike nervous. Logically, the fact that the two largest economies on the planet confront each other has consequences at a global level. Chinese restrictions on rare earths and lithium batteries threatened to cripple essential supply chains, while US tariffs on technology have curbed China’s ambitions in artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the agreement reached in Kuala Lumpur prior consultations sets the stage for a truce that, if fulfilled, could inject stability into a highly volatile global economy. We have to wait for results. Despite the optimistic tone, there is room for caution. Trump and Xi have already signed a “phase one” agreement in 2020 that forced China to buy more American agricultural products, something that Beijing barely complied with, according to words from WSJ. This time there are more elements at stake: the suspension of US investigations into Chinese maritime and logistics industries, review of technological export controls, advances in the case of TikTokrare earths, Taiwan and more. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, both sides “have reached consensus while respecting principles of equality and mutual benefit.” It remains to be seen if that consensus ends up materializing. What was not touched. Trump claimed that Taiwan was not discussed at the meeting, allaying fears in Taipei about possible American concessions in exchange for trade advantages. Just like they explain From WSJ, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had already publicly ruled out this possibility days before. Regarding Ukraine, Trump said they discussed the issue “extensively” and that both countries will work together to find a solution, although he did not give details. Curiously, according to point The Guardian, minutes before the meeting, Trump ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, although the president later suggested it was not related to China. And now what. Xi has declared that both sides should “finish follow-up work as soon as possible” to implement the consensus reached. trump confirmed that he will visit China in April and that Xi will travel to the United States later. It remains to be seen if what Trump has loudly announced ends up materializing or if, on the contrary, it remains another meeting of unfulfilled promises. Cover image | Guardian In Xataka | China wants to achieve technological independence in the worst possible place for the US: its army

After China’s stick, the US already has a new partner to obtain rare earths

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President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a critical minerals deal with the potential to create projects worth up to $8.5 billion, according to says the NYT. The pact responds directly to the recent restrictions that China has imposed on its exports of rare eartha movement that Trump rated as “sinister and hostile.” Why it is important. Critical minerals and rare earths are essential materials for manufacturing everything from semiconductors to engines, brakes and military fighters. China currently dominates global supply of these resources, which makes any restriction on their part a direct threat to Western production chains. And therefore, diversifying the sources of these types of elements has become a strategic priority for both the Trump administration and the previous Biden administration. Agreement with Australia. According to the summary provided by the White House, the agreement contemplate that the United States and Australia jointly invest $3 billion in critical minerals projects over the next six months. For its part, Australia is committed to investing billions in American defense companies. The US Department of Defense will also participate in the construction of a new refinery in Australia capable of extracting 100 tons of gallium metal per year. “In about a year, we will have so many critical minerals and rare earths that we won’t know what to do with them,” claimed Trump optimistically during the meeting with Albanese. The Australian Prime Minister, for his part, stressed that this agreement on critical minerals takes the economic and security relationship between both countries “to the next level.” Plan of action. Albanese’s office has made clear that the agreement functions as an “action plan” that “does not constitute or create legally binding obligations.” This contrasts with the public statements of both leaders, who seemed very enthusiastic on camera about the agreement, according to point the middle. The Australian ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, already had advanced in August that Australia was “ready and able to help” diversify US supply chains, recalling that manufacturing a single Virginia-class submarine requires approximately 4.5 short tons of critical minerals and rare earth elements. This agreement also confirms Trump’s support for the AUKUS pactthe trilateral defense alliance between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced in 2021 under the Biden administration. Trump, who had undergone a thorough review of AUKUS since July, said plans to deliver US-made submarines to Canberra were “moving forward very quickly.” However, he acknowledged that the project had progressed “too slowly” so far. US Navy Secretary John Phelan declared that the goal is to “improve the original AUKUS framework for all three parties and clarify some of the ambiguity that was in the previous agreement.” China’s door is not closed yet. With this move, the United States is closer to having access to these critical minerals from different parts of the world, reducing its dependence on China. In recent months, the US government has committed 75 million dollars to invest in Ukraine’s mineral reserves and has backed railway projects in Angola that will facilitate access to minerals in central Africa. Despite tensions with Beijing, Trump stated on Monday that he believes it is possible to reach a trade deal with China during his upcoming trip to Asia this month, where he is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Cover image | Paul-Alain Hunt and Brandon Mowinkel In Xataka | China was the great polluter of the planet: now it is emerging as the first “electrostate” in history

China wants to imprison the world with its restrictions on rare earths. His greatest prey has escaped him

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It’s been months since China presses the whole world with one of his great aces up his sleeve: rare earths. Last week he used them again to unbalance the balance of technological trade worldwide and imposed new restrictions to its export, but its attack has a gigantic hole. One called Taiwan. rare earths to me. Taiwan’s economy minister has revealed that the country does not expect there to be a big impact from these new restrictions from China. The reason is simple: such minerals are different from the metals needed in the semiconductor sector that Taiwan’s manufacturers and production plants dominate. Taiwan does not need China. In fact, both the products necessary domestically for the production of these chips and the rare earths used in their manufacturing processes come from Europe, the United States and Japan. This makes the country safe from the pressure that China wants to exert with its dominance of the rare earth segment. China tries to force the hand. China expanded significantly export controls on rare earths last Thursday. It added five new items to its list of minerals with restricted exports, but also imposed new scrutiny mechanisms for chip users. The change is not minor: any product manufactured outside the country that contains just 0.1% of materials of Chinese origin will need a license to be exported. TSMC safe. Taiwan is the largest chip factory in the world and for years it has TSMC as a major player in the sector. The company leads this segment and has become the great ally of the Western world when it comes to producing chips for the AI ​​industry. The Chinese restrictions do not appear to pose future dangers for TSMC and other manufacturers in the country, according to those statements. But. Even so, the economy minister added that these additional controls could affect global supply chains for various products. To clarify better: the direct impact may not be noticeable, but yes it could be the indirect onebecause for example ASML’s EUV scanners use rare earth magnets that could end up suffering delays due to these restrictions. And be careful with the “ripe chips”. For example, chips for electric vehicles and drones. China is precisely determined to dominate the mature circuit market: given that can’t compete At the moment with the most advanced manufacturing technology, what it wants is to be the main protagonist of less advanced but equally important chips in industries such as the automotive industry. Restrictions as a lever to negotiate. China’s measures in this regard They are just part of that commercial and technological war that it maintains with the West and, especially, with the United States. The reaction of the US government was immediate, and Donald Trump announced 100% additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Both superpowers try to use their assets to put pressure on their rival while waiting for a imminent negotiation: Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to meet in South Korea in late October. Image |Wikimedia | leannk

US responds to China’s new rare earths rules with 100% tariff threat that screams negotiation

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Just a couple of days ago we knew China’s new rare earth rules with which it completely disrupted the global map of strategic minerals. Taking into account that the Asian giant supplies approximately 70% of strategic minerals to the world, it could be said that China is the global mine of an essential raw material for the technology industry. And that gives it a privileged position to apply a standard of this caliber: any product manufactured outside of China with at least 0.1% of materials of Chinese origin. will require a license for export. That is, it not only controls what leaves China, but also what other countries produce with their materials and technologies, being able to decide what is exported, to whom and for what purpose following national security criteria. After a few hours assimilating the news and speculation of a response from Donald Trump and even his non-attendance at the next event where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, The United States has announced new 100% tariffs unparalleled. New tariffs, more control and a date that invites negotiation The president of the United States has exploded in Truth Social talking about ‘an extraordinarily aggressive stance on commercial matters‘, of ‘an extremely hostile letter‘and of’a moral shame in dealing with other nations‘referring to China’s new measures on its rare earths, insisting that it affects both the products they manufacture and those they do not. Furthermore, he has asserted that ‘It was evidently a plan drawn up by them years ago.‘. More tariffs. Because Donald Trump has announced in Truth Social that the United States will impose a new 100% tariff on China, which will be added to any other tariffs already in place. Likewise, they will also impose export controls on all critical software. It must be taken into account that practically all products imported from China to the United States already have high tariffs, ranging from 50% on steel and aluminum to only 7.5% on consumer goods, with an effective tariff rate of around 40%, according to expert analysts from Wells Fargo Economics and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. AND has left a key date of entry into force: next November 1, 2025. Between the lines. The date chosen by Trump is not coincidental: it is exactly the same as China’s for the measures on rare earths to be operational. And its message hides several key words that refer to a predisposition to negotiation ‘from the November 1, 2025 (or sooner, depending on the actions or changes China takes)‘. He also insists that he (obviously) speaks on behalf of the United States and not ‘from other countries equally threatened‘ Throwing down a gauntlet to potential allies for their coup d’état. In Xataka | In 1978 Chinese engineers visited two key US companies. Upon his return, an empire began: rare earths In Xataka | An industry in the hands of TSMC and Asian factories: the map of global chip production Cover | Jose Alberto Lizana with AI

Change Earth’s rotation

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The dams are colossal engineering works that provide numerous benefits to the surrounding cities, such as energy and flood protection. However, They are often accompanied by national and international controversies. And no dam has acquired both renown (and controversial) and the Chinese dam of The three throatsone of the most titanic construction projects on the planet and the largest hydroelectric dam. Its connected reservoir is capable of containing a volume of water so large that the rotation of the Earth has changed, extending the duration of the day by 0.06 microseconds. The three throats. Built along the Yangtze River in the province of Hubei, it was planned in 1919 by the first president of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, as a measure to control the floods of the river and generate energy. But, above all, to become a symbol of China’s power. Although its construction would not begin until December 1994 and would be put into operation in 2009. It has more than 2 kilometers long and 182 meters high. When it is at its maximum point, can contain 42,000 million tons of water. Suffice it to say that 510,000 tons of steel were needed to build it, which would be needed to erect 60 Eiffel towers. What is it for? It has three objectives: flood control, hydroelectric energy production and improve navigation. Keep in mind that the three throats generates today 11 times more energy than the gigantic hoover preythe world’s largest power plant with 22,500 MW. And through 34 huge generators, supports a large part of the Chinese nation. Besides, Helps keep the Yangze River at baythe longest third in the world, during the flood season protecting adjacent cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. It has slowed the rotation of the Earth. However, there is a price to pay to store so much water. Once the dam reservoir, the weight of the dough, which is more than 39 billion kilos, It is enough to slightly change the rotation of the earth. As? The inertia of the earth depends on its mass (water) and the distribution of that mass with respect to the axis of rotation. The axis of the Earth It is an imaginary pole that crosses the center of the earth from “up” to “down.” The earth revolves around this pole and performs a complete rotation every day. But as the dough is redistributed on the planet, This change slightly alters rotation. And the greater the distance of a mass (relocation of the water from other areas to the Chinese reservoir) to its axis of rotation, the slower it will turn, therefore It affects the duration of earth days. To understand the phenomenon, it is only necessary to visualize the turn movement of an ice skater: if its mass is uniformly distributed (for example, collecting their arms towards the body), it will turn better and faster after a few laps. If the dough changes, rotation and turn also change. The result. That means that raising 39 billion kilograms of water at 175 meters above sea level increases the inertia of the earth and, therefore, slows its rotation. However, according to NASA, the impact is minimal. His scientists calculated That the change of such mass increases the duration of the day by just 0.06 microseconds and makes the earth just a little more round in the center and flatter in the upper part. It has passed other times. In fact, hundreds of phenomena that alter that movement are produced every year. He tsunami that hit the Southeast Asia in 2004 or the 2010 Chilean earthquake They also affected the rotation of the planet. NASA then confirmed that the 2004 Indonesian earthquake had decreased the duration of the day by 2.68 microseconds. What affects us? Nothing. Although it sounds very shocking, the reality is that we will not notice any change. Miguel Sevilla, deputy director of the Institute of Astronomy and Geodesia, He defended years ago in this information article That these phenomena “have no greater significance, apart from the large material and human damage they cause.” Although they serve to warn us of “the effects they have on people, buildings and in nature.” Other controversies that do matter. In fact, beyond how this Chinese dam affects the rotation of the earth, the project has been plagued with other controversies that do significantly affect the life of humans and ecosystems. One of them is the amount of damage that causes the environment. It is estimated that 70% of China’s fresh water is contaminated and The dam could be worsening the situationsince it is based on old waste and mining operations facilities. Every year 265 million gallons of wastewater are deposited without treating on the Yangtze River. On the other hand, when the project was built, 1.2 million people were forced to relocate In new homes. And currently, the Chinese government is still migrating people out of the area. Image | Commons In Xataka | The demolition of the largest dam complex in the world has begun. Its controversial objective: resurrect a river

The “lost continents” of our planet are leaving their trail in an unthinkable place: the earth’s magnetic field

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Life as we know it depends largely on the stability of the Earth’s magnetic field. But this stability (or the absence of this) depends in turn on factors that we still do not understand. Some of these factors are in the outer space, others instead are thousands of kilometers hidden under our feet. From the bottom up. Huge geological structures located in the land mantle They could be contributing To destabilize the magnetic field that protects the land from radiation and particles from space. These are the “sunk continents”, the large provinces of low speed (LLVP). Sunk continents. This last name is due to the fact that these rock masses located in the deep layers of the land mantle stand out from the rest of its surroundings because the seismic waves move more slowly through them. Through this method we know the existence of two large LLVP, one located under the African tectonic plaque and the other located under the peaceful plaque. We do not know exactly what they are or what is the origin of these rock masses. A hypothesis indicates that could be remains of the impact between the primal earth and a second planet called Theia. The Moon would be one of the results of that impact, another would be that part of The remains of Theia would have been “embedded” on earth, specifically in the mantle, giving rise to these “lost continents.” However, other studies have pointed out that these masses would be formed, at least partially of ocean cortex buried through subductive geological processes, which would make them more close to “lost continents” of the surface of the earth. The new study can be linked to this last hypothesis. Fed by a “fire ring.” The team He modeled the movements Convectives of the land mantle, also creating a reconstruction of the possible movement of the tecton plates on the surface of the Earth in the last 1,000 million years. Thus they found indications that the African dough would contain older and more “mixed” than the peaceful mass, which would contain 50% more oceanic crust, a more “young” cortex and different from the surrounding mantle. This could be explained with the call “Pacific Fire Ring”, A vast network of failures, many of them subductive that little by little they engulf part of the earth’s crust. This “banquet” would have been producing for at least 300 million years and would be serving to feed the Pacific LLVP. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Scientific Reportsof Nature. In diversity is the key. Until now, intuition pointed out that these two underground “continents” had a similar composition. The reason is precisely that the two slow down the passage of seismic waves in a similar way, which leads us to the intuition of thinking that these are very similar in their characteristics. However, the team responsible for the new work indicates that this may not be the case. The reason is that the temperature is more than the material that makes these regions slow the waves that cross them. The balance is complicated. The formations are more or less opposite in the Terrestrial globe, which in principle is great news: since these masses influence the way in which the temperature of the earth’s core is spread in higher layers, which in turn affects the conductive movements inside the nucleus of the planet. Since these movements are those that allow the existence of a magnetic field On Earth, the way in which they occur has a lot of impact on this field. If the LLVPs are different, the way in which the field is generated ceases to be symmetrical as one would expect, which gives rise to the appearance of imbalances. Discussing the different hypotheses. As we pointed out at the beginning, the new study can be linked to the idea that the LLVPs are the result of the sinking of earth cortex pieces and not the remains of a planet of the original solar system. Although the study does not offer conclusive evidence confirming this first hypothesis, It can be seen as a new more test in this address. In Xataka | Julio Verne was right: there are three times more water in the depths of the earth than in all oceans together Image | Oxford University; Panton, Davies, et al. (2025) / NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

China’s domain is spreading far beyond rare earths. Even where the US had no rival: the sea

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While the United States is has launched yet to the search of those minerals and rare earths that China governs well above the rest of the planet, even with the pentagon and the Apple very Inverting a stratospheric sum, Beijing has been adding and building A small empire that begins to make many nations nervous. To Japan and Taiwan, who believed the seas as nobody: Washington. Maritime ambition. In a context of growing strategic rivalry with the United States, China has intensified their Naval operations long range as part of an explicit demonstration of its global ambition. Already We tell it: Between May and June, the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong They carried out combined exercises in waters near Japan, operating beyond the so -called “First Islands Chain” and entering the “Second Chain”, including Guam in Equation, an important military enclave United States. Nerves The presence of these two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific not only caused Concern in Japanbut also revealed the New scope of the Chinese Navy, which seeks train their units To operate independently, far from the continental coasts, both in peace and war times. The ability to perform air operations from ships in open sea (including Removal and landings of fighters and helicopters up to 90 times a day) provides China an operational experience that, although still incipient, anticipates a future use of these assets as force projection instruments beyond their immediate influence areas. Shandong Inroads under construction, in 2019 Aircraft carrier as a message. Beyond its military utility, Chinese aircraft carriers represent a powerful status symbol international. For the Government of Xi Jinping, the possession and deployment of these ships constitutes an affirmation that China has left behind the limitations of a regional power and progressly advanced towards the image of global power. Even though Three Chinese aircraft carriers current (the liaoning, the Shandong and the still inactive Fujian) operate with conventional propulsion and are below technologically of the Eleven nuclear aircraft carriers From Washington, his exercises are promoted in official media as an unequivocal signal of the country’s maritime rebirth. And one more when falling. In addition, the possibility that The fourth carriercurrently under construction, use nuclear propulsion and electromagnetic catapults indicates a gradual but ambitious evolution. Plus: The recent opening to the public Shandong in Hong Kongafter completing their maneuvers, reinforces that nationalist propaganda approach aimed at strengthening the legitimacy of Chinese leadership through military power. CNS FUJIAN Dispute for the Pacific. China’s aircrafts not only serve for training or to project distant influence, they also constitute a Operational tool Within the framework of Territorial disputes Activated in the Sea of South and Eastern China. Analysts agree that Beijing could use them to reinforce your claims in front of Japan, South Korea or Southeast Asian countries, or even to exert coercive pressure on Taiwan through A maritime block that prevents the flow of goods and communications. Although in a direct conflict with the United States the aircraft carriers would be vulnerable to missiles and torpedoes (and would probably have a limited role in a immediate confrontation by Taiwan), its value lies in the control of broad areas, surveillance, political intimidation and support for combined naval operations. As He pointed out A Japanese academic to NYT, these platforms allow pressure on both military and civil vessels, becoming a hybrid instrument of economic and military coercion. Evolutionary logic. From the Strait crisis from Taiwan in 1996, when the United States deployed two combat groups Of aircraft carriers to deter Beijing, China understood the need to develop its own naval response capacity. The starting point was the acquisition of the helmet of An old Soviet aircraft carrier In Ukraine, converted into the Liaoning and incorporated in 2012. Since then, the advance has been progressive but constant. The Shandong, released in 2017was the first built entirely in Chinese shipyards, while The Fujianeven in the test phase, it incorporates for the first time a system of Electromagnetic catapultkey technology to operate heavier and better armed aircraft. A long way. Despite these advances, experts like Narushige Michishita They warn in the New York Times That Chinese naval operations are still in a rudimentary phase, marked by a slow but disciplined learning curve. China prefers to avoid expensive errors and seeks, however, consolidate a coherent maritime doctrine and functional that allows, in a few decades, to compete from you to you with the great naval powers of the world. The Indo-Pacific Theater. Plus: the simultaneous display Of the Liaoning and Shandong in deep waters, it has a double value: it allows the Chinese fleet to operate in unknown environments and reinforces its capacities for future intervention scenarios in critical areas, such as the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf or even the Mediterranean. According to him Timothy Heath researcher of the Rand Corporation, the aircraft carriers will offer China the ability to project aerial missions in any balloon area Where your Navy sails, beyond the only foreign base that currently maintains in Yibuti. In that sense, the control of routes to the Middle East or the Strait of Malaca, vital for Chinese economic and energy interests, will probably be one of the Strategic objectives in the medium term. A symbols war. I remembered the Times that, as Beijing builds More warshipsconsolidated alliances with African countries and reinforces its port diplomacy in Asia and Africa, the Indo-Pacific converts On the board where a new naval power competition is outlined, with the aircraft carriers as a tool of that Geostrategic ambition. While the aircraft carriers do not guarantee maritime domain (especially in front of a power with Interdiction capabilities as the United States), its value lies both in its operational function and its symbolic weight. In other words, Beijing is no longer satisfied with defending their coasts, but with drawing routes on waters that, until recently, only dominated Your main rival. Image | RHK111, Tyg728, Ministry of National Defense The People’s Republic of China/ Li Gang/ Xinhua In Xataka | China … Read more

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