physics of the Earth and its environment in space. Its subjects include the shape of the Earth, its gravitational and magnetic fields, the dynamics of the Earth as a whole and of its component parts, the Earth's internal structure, the generation of magmas, the hydrological cycle including snow and ...
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1answer
25 views
Modeling elastic moduli as a continuous function in space for a single solid material
I've read a number of solid mechanics papers where a single material is modeled with constant elastic moduli (lame parameters $\lambda$, $\mu$). I've also seen composite materials modeled with ...
3
votes
2answers
105 views
What made the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake?
The Ocean Drilling Program recently published results indicating that the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake produced a maximum co-seismic slip of more than 50 meters near the Japan Trench. This is the ...
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votes
1answer
42 views
All of the deep earthquakes in the world are associated with? [closed]
Question:-All of the deep earthquakes in the world are associated with:
(a) Spreading centers
(b) Mantle plumes
(c) Ocean trenches
(d) Plate triple junctions
(e) Continental shelves
(f) None of these ...
6
votes
2answers
526 views
Why isn't the Earth's core temperature the average of its surface temperatures?
Assuming that the earth is spherical, that its temperature is continuous, and that some other more or less realistic conditions hold, we might think that the Earth's core temperature should be about ...
6
votes
3answers
348 views
How is it that the Earth's atmosphere is not “blown away”?
The Earth moves at a high rate of speed around the Sun, and the solar system is moving quickly around the Milky Way. How is it that the Earth's atmosphere is not “blown away”?
7
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2answers
105 views
Is the total mass of Earth's atmosphere essentially constant in time?
Per a few questions and comments on this site such as Huge buildings affect earth's rotation? I wonder, is the mass of the Earth's atmosphere roughly constant?
We're burning an incredible amount ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views
Can Earth's Magnetic Field Create Electricity?
If the earth has a magnetic field, can it, in theory, be run through a conductive metal coil to create electricity?
5
votes
2answers
102 views
What is known about the Magnetic North Pole's location before 1800?
I was recently startled to find that the Earth's North Magnetic Pole is moving at upwards of 40 km per year, with an additional ~80 km daily elliptical drift about its mean position due to variations ...
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0answers
26 views
Energy conversions, on terrestrial scale, before and during a massive Earthquake
Ethan Siegel is an astrophysicist who is now making a living as science blogger.
There is a post titled: Where does an Earthquake's energy come from?
Ethan Siegel points out that massive earthquake ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
What is the Earth's magnetic field in space?
I have looked around a bit, but haven't found a simple answer. At an altitude between 100-1000 km,
Is the magnetic field B still around $\sim 10^{-5}\ T$? Is there a simple equation that would provide ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
What is the most optimal earth's axial tilt in terms of variation of seasons?
What is the most optimal earth's axial tilt in terms of variation of seasons?
What would be optimal axial tilt for earth that life would exist and change of seasons would be at minimal level?
6
votes
4answers
254 views
Why is the water on the surface of the Earth?
What makes the water stay on the surface? Why the earth does not absorb the water in it?
-6
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1answer
57 views
Energy flows in the core also responsible for another of the planet’s unique [closed]
Energy flows in the core also responsible for
another of the planet’s unique features: a
strong magnetic field. Scientists believe that
the earth has had a magnetic field for at
least 3.5 billion ...
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vote
2answers
160 views
3
votes
2answers
276 views
Where does the energy of a lightning strike go?
Lightning contains a lot of energy, so where does this energy go after lightning has hit the ground?
Does it travel all the way to the core? What happens after that?
8
votes
2answers
94 views
Radio-dating and the age of the earth
I understand there are a few radio-dating methods to determine the age of the earth, uranium-lead to name one (maybe not the best though). The ratio Pb206 + Pb207 to U allows you to find when the ...
3
votes
1answer
173 views
What if the earth's core goes cold?
What effects would occur if the earth's core goes cold? Would the planet stay liveable after this happens?
0
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0answers
48 views
IP (Induced polarization) Dipole-Dipole configuration as derivative
One of my study books says '...the dipole-dipole measurement, which is a lateral second derivative measurement is the most sensitive to relatively small, lateral variations....'
I have a hard time to ...
2
votes
2answers
64 views
Is the altitude of the surface of the ice at the south pole determined by barometric pressure?
In one section of his auto-biography, Alvarez: Adventures of a Physicist, Luis Alvarez describes a tour of Antarctica. This comment about a flight over the south pole caught my attention:
The ...
3
votes
2answers
93 views
Earth's core electric charge
Forgive my limited knowledge, but the Earth's magnetic field is created by the conductive liquid in the core and to the best I can tell organizing itself (which means separating charges?). Would this ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
Magnetic field line length
If I had a magnetic bar in space that was 2cm wide and 2cm high and was one Earth diameter long and had the same magnetic strength as the Earth, would the distribution of field lines be the same ...
2
votes
2answers
155 views
Can wind blowing on smooth water create speckle interference patterns?
On a calm smooth lake, or even a large rain puddle, I've seen transient rough patches on the surface suddenly appear and disappear, and sometimes move across the water some distance before ...
1
vote
1answer
151 views
Refraction seismology - travel time for wave
I am taking an introductory class in seismology, but have some difficulties understanding the logic behind the formula used to calculate the time it takes for a refracted wave to return to the surface ...
5
votes
1answer
111 views
Amount of thermal energy in the Earth?
Does anyone know the amount of thermal energy that the Earth's mantle and core possess? I don't mean the maximum limit of electrical power we could generate with geothermal plants, but rather: if you ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
What geological properties of the earth could we deduce by measuring magnetic field strength and direction?
I wonder if it is of any use for a geophysicist, if we measure the magnetic field strength and direction of the earth.
Could we make valid statements about the composition of the the earth, earth ...
3
votes
0answers
36 views
Special conditions at layer F2 ionosphere
I saw this graph about the electrons density in different altitudes and difference between night and day, the difference between the 2 electron densities (day and night) decreases till 300 Km (F2 ...
4
votes
2answers
187 views
Plate tectonics and water
In a couple of places already i've read the following assertion:
It is believed that plate tectonics might play an important part in
maintaining the presence of water on a planet's surface
one ...
6
votes
1answer
56 views
Is it possible to determine astronomically/astrophysically whether other planets have ever encountered polarity reversal?
We know of geomagnetic flip in Earth's history by studying geologic data. Given other planets in the system also possess a magnetic field leads to the assumption that such polarity reversal may not be ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
Can I estimate the long-term surface heat transfer coefficient based on a temperature difference between the air surface and ground surface?
I want to estimate the long-term or annual heat transfer coefficient for the earth's surface in a particular area where the mean annual air surface temperature is about 13$^\circ$C, and the mean ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Does airport activity increase METAR temperatures?
Many weather stations (including almost all METAR stations) are
located near busy airports that have gotten busier over the years.
Could the airport/airplane activity (friction, propellant release, ...
0
votes
1answer
99 views
Refraction and Reflection Seismology
So I am wondering if I got the difference right. Both methods use explosives to send waves into the earth's surface. Now reflection seismology tries to get information from the reflected waves; the ...
0
votes
0answers
77 views
Phosphorus Cycle [closed]
In the phosphorus cycle, phosphorus is deposited on the ocean and river floors. Then a process of "geological uplifting" returns the phosphorus into rocks. Can anyone explain this process of ...
3
votes
2answers
141 views
The earth's magnetic field
This might sound like a silly question. Is it possible for the earth's magnetic field to actually destroy or harm earth? (implosion, crushing etc.)
0
votes
1answer
77 views
Gravity measurements above volcanic chamber
I am trying to find out what formula to use for the above issue. If I do a gravity measurement above a volcanic chamber, what do I have to do? I thought about adding the Bouger corrections, as it is a ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
How far does typical view of clouds/atmosphere extend?
The specific "sub questions" I'm asking are:
When you are looking at clouds just on the horizon, how far away would they be?
How wide (in km) is that total field of vision at roughly cloud height.
...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Martian ground exchange heat pump
According to the wikipedia article Geothermal heat pump, "Depending on latitude, the temperature beneath the upper 6 metres of Earth's surface maintains a nearly constant temperature between 10 and 16 ...
1
vote
2answers
263 views
Underground explosions due to plate tectonics and natural gas pockets
I am not sure if anyone has ever researched this but I am curious about underground reservoirs of natural gas and plate tectonics. Specifically, as the Earth's crust gets pulled down to the mantle do ...
3
votes
2answers
324 views
Water from Icebergs
Thousands of icebergs are calved from polar regions annually, and melt in the oceans. George Mougin, an entrepreneurial engineer, aspires to tow multi-million ton icebergs to areas of the world ...
6
votes
2answers
110 views
Would it be possible for geophysicists/geoengineers to develop an artificial way of trapping carbon in the ocean?
There's a mechanism by which the southern ocean sequesters carbon from the atmosphere. It happens when strong winds displace a large slab of surface water, accumulating in a specific region where the ...
2
votes
0answers
57 views
Ratio of horizontal to vertical kinetic energy in ocean
What is the ratio between horizontal and vertical kinetic energy in the ocean and what is the scale dependencies of this ratio ?
4
votes
1answer
294 views
How does the inner core relieve stress as the Earth's rotation slows?
One of the surprises for me in working out the answer to this question: Why is the Earth so fat? , is that the core is more elliptical than the surface, the extra ellipticity builds up gradually to ...
0
votes
1answer
92 views
What is the most energy-efficient way to crush the hardest bedrock on earth?
What is the most energy-efficient way to crush the hardest bedrock on earth while assuming it is impossible to use the chain reaction energy from that bedrock?
How many energy is needed?
1
vote
1answer
130 views
What equations/constants were used to calculate the Kármán Line for Earth?
I am interested in how the original value of ~100 km was calculated for the Kármán line of earth. What equations and constants would need to be used to reproduce this value?
Note: By constants, ...
4
votes
2answers
282 views
How does Earth's interior dynamo work?
I'm interested in getting a basic physical understanding of how Earth's magnetic field is generated. I understand that it's a "dynamo" type of effect, driven by convection currents in the molten outer ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
What would happen if the Earth was tidally locked with the Sun?
I'm thinking of writing a short story set on a version of Earth that is tidally locked to the Sun. I'm not exactly sure how to research the topic. Here's a number of questions about what would happen:
...
4
votes
1answer
58 views
What sets the length scale of stratified rock formations?
Driving through areas of the American Southwest such as Utah and Arizona, you notice stratified rock formations everywhere. The grand canyon is the best known example. One striking thing is that the ...
2
votes
0answers
92 views
Upper limit on the earthquake magnitude
From the Gutemberg-Ricther law we know that the frequency of an earthquake is a power law so virtually any magnitude is possible on earthquake event. But the earth has a finite size so there must be ...
2
votes
1answer
194 views
How much water is destroyed in photosynthesis, relative to the world's supply?
Water is involved in the photosynthesis. How much water are we talking about compared with the total amount on water on Earth? Is it enough to have an effect on the average age of water molecules?
2
votes
1answer
127 views
Earth's magnetic field, could the poles be reversing?
Lately, I've been 'monitoring', if you will, the earths magnetic field, i've come across some strange looking activity periodically. I exchanged some emails with a guy from NASA today, Joseph Gurman, ...
4
votes
2answers
642 views
Lowest gravity on Earth's surface?
I am trying to determine which on Earth's surface has the lowest gravity. Googling is not finding anything concrete. My natural inclination would be to think of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador, being on ...
