Posted on 07/31/2008 3:42:07 AM PDT by Fred Nerks
Scientists are to sail to the mid-Atlantic to examine a massive "open wound" on the Earth's surface. Dr Chris MacLeod, from Cardiff University, said the Earth's crust appeared to be missing across an area of several thousand square kilometres.
The hole in the crust is midway between the Cape Verde Islands and the Caribbean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The team will survey the area, up to 5km (3 miles) under the surface, from ocean research vessel RRS James Cook.
The ship is on its inaugural voyage after being named in February.
Dr MacLeod said the hole in the Earth's crust was not unique, but was recognised as one of the most significant.
He said it was an "open wound on the surface of the Earth", where the oceanic crust, usually 6-7km thick (3.7-4.3 miles), was simply not there.
"Usually the plates are pulled apart and to fill the gap the mantle underneath has to rise up. As it comes up it starts to melt. That forms the magma," he said.
"That's the normal process. Here it has gone awry for some reason.
"The crust does not seem to be repairing itself."
Dr MacLeod said the research could lead to a "new way of understanding" the process of plate tectonics.
The scientist will test theories he developed after visiting the area in 2001 - including the possibility the missing crust was caused by a "detachment fracture".
"Effectively it's a huge rupture - one side is being pulled away from the other. It's created a rupture so big it's actually pulled the entire crust away.
"We also think the mantle did not melt as much as usual and that the normal amount of mantle was not produced."
As a result, the mantle is exposed to seawater, creating a rock called serpentinite...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
It’s a fun film. DH and I really enjoyed it. A bit too scary to take kids younger than 7.
Uh, oh, Mormons! The oceans gonna flow into the hole!
That’s no Gaia.
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It is Bush’s fault!
Kinda sorta, but that would be people not already incensed at the total disregard for common sense already on display in the rest of the article.
Those are very appealing rock structures. I take it none qualify as ‘holes in the Earth’?
Yep, that rings the bell. I knew I’d figured it being no big deal, except to ‘journalists’.
And here I thought I was being the only one who read the title like that.
Thought my brain was too far into the toilet today.
(Did the scientists at least wear raincoats?)
Dialation has just begun.
Stay tuned for the Gaia freak show.
Soon a new world will be extruded!
He said it was an "open wound on the surface of the Earth", where the oceanic crust, usually 6-7km thick (3.7-4.3 miles), was simply not there. "Usually the plates are pulled apart and to fill the gap the mantle underneath has to rise up. As it comes up it starts to melt. That forms the magma," he said. "That's the normal process. Here it has gone awry for some reason.
Can any one say the lost continent of Atlantis?
‘beyond the pillars of Heracles(the Straits of Gibraltar),’ there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia(Minor)together; and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean.....
.....But at a later time there occurred portentous earthquakes and floods, and one grievous day and night befell them, when the whole body of your warriors was swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner was swallowed up by the sea and vanished; wherefore also the ocean at that spot has now become impassable and unsearchable, being blocked up by the shoal mud which the island created as it settled down.”
According to Plato Atlantis disappeared 11,700 years ago. According to a new study Europe endured a very sudden and catastrophic climatic change around 12,000 ago. Coincidence?
“...Coincidence?”
NO!
Click a square, explore the ocean floor:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/2minrelief.html
HUGE images, entire globe:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/images/etopo2v2-modis-globes/JPEGfull/
"“Through the fathomless deeps of space swims the star turtle Great A’Tuin, bearing on it’s back the four giant elephants who carry on their shoulders the mass of the Discworld. A tiny sun and moon spin around, on a complicated orbit to induce seasons, so this is probably the only place in the Multiverse where it is sometimes necessary for an elephant to move a leg to allow the sun to go past.
Exactly why it is this way, may never be known. Possibly the Creator of the universe got bored with all the usual business of axial inclination, albedos and rational velocities, and decided to have bit of fun.”
so, who is Terry Pratchett?
"Going Postal" is perhaps one of his better ones, but all are entertaining, but full of rather conservative principles.
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