Earth Science

Hi, Would it be possible to steer a potentially large (kilometers in diameter) icy body into orbit such that a small amount of atmospheric friction continuously bleeds its outer layer away a little at a time while slowing its orbit a little at a time until it finally evaporates away entirely, there never having been any catastrophic impact? Or does frictious orbital decay always occur faster than mass loss (leading to inevitable catastrophic impact)?

Positive/negative?

The title of the thread is [until now] something I was totally ignorant of, but a very interesting article and example of how science is done........ https://phys.org/news/2019-03-geologic-evidence-theory-major-cosmic.html Geologic evidence supports theory that major cosmic impact event occurred approximately 12,800 years ago March 13, 2019 by Sonia Fernandez, University of California - Santa Barbara: The researchers found evidence of cosmic impact at the Pilauco dig site in a suburb of the Osorno province in Chile Credit: Courtesy image When UC Santa Barbara geology professor emeritus James Kennett and colleagues set out years ago to examin…

If it gets warmer, can people grow avocado in Belgium?

Did the Azolla event create significant hydrocarbon deposits in the Arctic?

If the ozone is depleting why not artificially added extra ozone (O3) to the layer to stabilize it? Sounds really fundamwntal, so I know Im wrong, but why? ~ee

At its longest point, it's about the size of a baseball's diameter. Found it sitting on a railing while I was taking a walk on a river trail near me and thought it looked really interesting

Tidal locking is said to be the reason that the moon always has the same face towards earth. Jupiter and Saturn have 62 - 63 moons most of which are also in synchronous orbit. In the absence of a liquid ocean and the crustal structure of the earth how do they still pull this off?

Interesting article on the longest straight line land route (from Portugal to China) and sailable sea route. https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/these-are-the-worlds-longest-straight-lines

https://phys.org/news/2018-11-students-grade-climate-science-expert.html The National Climate Assessment, released the day after Thanksgiving, offers motivation and opportunity to bring climate topics into the classroom at every grade level. Even the youngest students are ready to learn about climate science, according to Michael Wysession, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and executive director of the Teaching Center. Wysession, who has co-authored more than 30 textbooks, helped write a position statement on teaching climate science adopted by the board of directors of the National Scien…

I am posting here because it is my experience that members don't bother with the books section. At least this way those interested in Earth Science will see it. I have been reading a New Scientist up to date overview of Earth Science, released in 2018. New Scientist Instant Expert Series This is Planet Earth. Well, the book, though a small paperback, is ambitious. "Your ultimate guide to the world we call home" It certainly boasts some exceeding clear well presented diagrams, even though they are all in grey shading. It is also a compilation of chapters from well qualified scientists in Oceanography, Biology, Geology/Geophysics, Clima…

Tsunami’s- I just heard about a Tsunami in Indonesia caused by underwater landslides. What’s to prevent the same thing from occurring on the US east, or west coast? And could someone simulate the effect of an underwater landslide using technology? I don’t mean a model, I mean a weapon that would appear as a natural geological occurrence? One that if you couldn’t see would appear as an earthquake, or landslide had occurred? Indonesia is at the top of if I could have been born and raised anywhere else. That’s the place I’d pick to live. How ever, it would also seem the perfect place to test such technologies without raising suspicions, and there is no giant count…

If various OLOGIES are looking out for various aspects of world systems. EG Geology looking at the structure of the earth and its long history; Geography looking at the surface systems, Biology looking out for living things, etc etc Who specifically has the discipline that looks out for not just climate, but the whole shebang ! Ocean, air, rocks, life , climate, minerals , sea and all the interlinking systems that keep the Earth as a working system. Is there a degree course with ensuing professors who make it their business to get a handle on the WHOLE EARTH SYSTEM/SYSTEMS ?

There seems to be a fairly general acceptance of the idea that atmospheric pressure is caused by the weight of the molecules in the atmosphere. This idea is supported even by Wikipedia. I am not convinced that this is true. I think that atmospheric pressure is caused by "air" molecules colliding with the Earth's surface. This is not a new idea, of course, but it may not be widely held. If true, however, surely the "air has weight" explanation should be put to rest, as in Wiki and other websites. If I am wrong in believing the "molecular collisions" explanation, I should welcome comments that would put me right. However, in order to support my rejection of t…

https://phys.org/news/2018-10-science-low-carbon-future-today.html The science is clear: We have to start creating our low-carbon future today October 12, 2018, The Conversation This week's release of the special report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put scientific evidence on the front page of the world's newspapers. As Australia's Chief Scientist, I hope it will be recognised as a tremendous validation of the work that scientists do. The people of the world, speaking through their governments, requested this report to quantify the impacts of warming by 1.5℃ and what steps might be taken to limit it. They asked for …

I ask because I keep hearing of groundwater contamination, yet never hear of how quick the process is, vs. how gradual the process is.

Large asteroid meteorite craters fallen to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa (For convenience, = Z) Z position In large size Punch into the Earth Magma, mantle convection Starfish As fast as Because of Straight A wave has occurred Asteroids did not fall at 90 degrees Inner peak ring Congo River Fractal Victoria Falls Peak Rings Outer peak ring Africa is north, so it is not a 90 degree angle So asteroid convection Indian Ocean Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean Magma convection twice Conclusion = Pangea separated …

It doesn't take much reflection on the common explanation of formation of fossil fuels, from coal, to crude oil, to natural gas, to find that it doesn't make any sense at all. In fact, it's anti-science. 1. Where in the world is fossil fuel formation currently underway today? Answer: nowhere. 2. Why didn't microorganisms break down the plant and animal matter that supposedly was compressed to form coal, and crude oil, and natural gas? They were around then. 3. How could such a profound volume of organic matter accumulate in so many different locations around the world, such that they are now under thousands of feet of ocean, and soil, and rock? …

I have recently been reading a lot of papers of different paleothermometers. The Calcium in calcium carbonate can get replaced by Mg and Sr and people use the ratios of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca to predict past ocean surface temperatures. What I can't seem to understand is why the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca show opposite trends with temperature such that as temperature increases Mg/Ca increases while Sr/Ca decreases. I would have thought they would both increase. Could someone please explain this to me? Thank you

- Does the amount of moisture mass in a hurricane influences its momentum, making it harder to change direction ? - The change in ambient temperature from day to night 'fuels' more or less the energy of a hurricane ? (as to late during the day mostly gaining energy )

Wasn't sure whether to take this to the physics or chemistry forum, as it involves both, but for now I'll put it here. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/24/hurricane-lane-could-cause-white-out-landslides-with-kilauea-volcano.html Why would lava contain hydrochloric acid? Wouldn't hydrogen chloride be more likely to come out of solution at the higher temperatures of lava than at the lower temperatures of rain-cooled lava? Or does it dissolve-without-dissociating in lava, then react with rainwater to form hydrochloric acid? I was expecting this to be an "at least we won't have to worry about the lava once the water freezes it, o…

Hi. Enjoy ----> https://www.google.com/search?q=ausangate+painted+mountains&client=ubuntu&hs=mXN&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF0tKB0O_cAhUV8YMKHePbAx0Q_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=549 ----> https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/rainbow-mountains-china-danxia-landform_n_3683840.html Please move to 'Lounge' if deserved.

Hi Everyone Last year, I was on a flight from London to Seattle and for some technical reason, the plane had to take a much more Northern flight path than it otherwise would have done. As a result, we flew over the Northern end of Baffin Island. As we flew over the eastern coast of Baffin Island, I saw two amazingly beautiful, roughly circular glacier lakes right next to each other. You can see them in the middle of the attached image from Google Maps. I have actually looked all over Baffin Island on Google Maps and I have not found any similar circular glacier lakes. I therefore have two questions; Does anyone on this forum have any idea how these lakes we…

What is the result of the La Brea type tar pits in the future? Will it eventually harden into something like coal and if covered and refound just be a coal deposit? What will the Tar Pit formations become?

Look, I don't really want to play with the tedium of voltage, but if you wanted voltage from the air, you need only condense the most static of gases, [oxygen]. This is the best conductor, so, will be the best source of energy. If you were to observe that if you rub your hands together, you will generate static, and you can apply that shock to whatever you wish, you could also use the carbon in the air, to bond with the oxygen - hey you got 'soot.' Soot is 'gaseous oil,' for lack of a better terminology, and oil burns easily, so, from the air, your best bet is to go to China, and, 'rub that stuff together,' yes? If you were to merely condense the soot, you will have …