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 ...
1
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1answer
33 views
Huge buildings affect earth's rotation?
Does constructing huge buildings affect the rotation of the earth, similar to skater whose angular rotation increases when her arms are closed comparatively than open.
7
votes
3answers
1k views
How long does it take an iceberg to melt in the ocean?
This is a quantitative question. The problem is inspired by this event:
On August 5, 2010, an enormous chunk of ice, roughly 97 square miles (251 square kilometers) in size, broke off the Petermann ...
3
votes
1answer
76 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
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2answers
77 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
23 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 ...
6
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4answers
241 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?
5
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0answers
140 views
Readings of the detectors at Japan and Izu-Bonin-Mariana Trenches
Given the relevance of this subduction system, I would expect that a wide range of detectors (temperature, vibration, seismometers, whatever) are deployed in the depth of these trenches. What would be ...
5
votes
1answer
109 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
54 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 ...
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1answer
46 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?
1
vote
4answers
677 views
Is the earth expanding?
I recently saw this video on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJfBSc6e7QQ
and I don't know what to make of it. It seems as if the theory has enough evidence to be correct but where would all ...
1
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2answers
148 views
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1answer
55 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 ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
What sustains the rotation of earth's core (faster than surface)?
I recently read that the earth's core rotates faster than the surface.
Well, firstly, it's easier to digest the concept of planetary bodies, stars, galaxies in rotation and/or orbital motion.
But, ...
14
votes
3answers
478 views
Why the distribution of elements on earth?
I've been wondering exactly why the elements are distributed the way they are on earth. The heavier elements have their origins in the centers of stars, or in supernova. After the death of the stars, ...
8
votes
2answers
80 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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
2answers
254 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?
2
votes
1answer
72 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
145 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?
2
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2answers
63 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
38 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
87 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
2answers
143 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
140 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
30 views
Refraction and scattered light for NLCs
For helping with judging NLC candidates (are they NLC or not) I have a set of formulas to calculate the minimum altitude (in km) of the candidate given an observed altitude (in degrees) of the ...
1
vote
1answer
56 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
35 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 ...
0
votes
1answer
88 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?
4
votes
2answers
172 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 ...
-3
votes
1answer
131 views
How can the Earth's day increase and its rotation slow down at the same time? [closed]
I heard that the Earth rotation is slowing down, but I also heard the Earth's length of day is increasing.
Does the two theories go together or conflict with each other?
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 ...
21
votes
4answers
992 views
Why does the sky change color?
Why the sky is blue during the day, red during sunrise/set and black during the night?
2
votes
0answers
55 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 ?
2
votes
1answer
80 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.
...
1
vote
0answers
48 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, ...
3
votes
3answers
260 views
Ozone Hole in the South Pole
Perhaps this should be a chemistry question, but it seems to have physics attributes. There's a perennial ozone "hole" around the south pole created by destruction from Cl based chemicals like CFCs. ...
0
votes
1answer
91 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
74 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
249 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
138 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.)
6
votes
2answers
109 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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
566 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
282 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
301 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 ...
33
votes
7answers
3k views
Why is the Earth so fat?
I made a naive calculation of the height of Earth's equatorial bulge and found that it should be about 10km. The true height is about 20km. My question is: why is there this discrepancy?
The ...
-2
votes
3answers
707 views
Electro Magnetic Waves can cause matter displacement?
After watching this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1jIjx0XF_U
The experience is made with a speaker that generates a sound wave or mechanic wave. Can you use this to establish a link to ...
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 ...
