Andrija Mohorovičić

Beneath the crust is the mantle, a 2,900-kilometer deep layer of semi-solid rock that makes up an incredible 84% of Earth's volume.

Between the two is the snappily named Mohorovicic discontinuity, or Moho for short.

It is detected by our instruments because seismic waves change velocity and refract when they pass into it.

But really, it's just a sort of blurred line between the crust and the mantle, and don't worry, we'll come back to the Moho later.

These findings offer crucial insights into the South China Sea's formation, including evidence of large-scale volcanic eruptions after a spreading ridge jump and rare structural features like alternating sediment layers.

The Meng Xiang, capable of drilling to eleven kilometers, one kilometer deeper than Japan's Chikyu, aims for missions to the Mohorovicic discontinuity by 2030, seeking to understand the Earth's crust and mantle.

Moving across the region, China's top diplomat Wang Yi met Japan's former foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya in Beijing, marking the highest ranking Chinese reception for a Japanese visit in nearly a year.

Wang warned that bilateral relations faced a severe situation and were yet to be normalized ahead of next year's fifty-fifth anniversary of diplomatic ties.