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1500 questions
26
votes
5 answers
Why was the initial theory of plate tectonics so controversial?
I have been set the task of researching plate tectonics, specifically:
"Why was its discovery so important in its time and controversial?"
I do not need a long answer, although more detail is always appreciated.
Bob Eret
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26
votes
7 answers
Could the Earth's core lose its heat?
Will all the drilling and digging to use the Earth's natural heat as geothermal energy affect the Earth's core, causing it to cool down?
If so, would it result in an ice age? If not, how does the Earth's core retain its heat?
tux
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26
votes
1 answer
How can the following equations for meandering rivers be theoretically obtained?
It has been observed that the shape of a meandering river is roughly circular, not sinusoidal (Leopold and Wolman 1960). It has also been observed that the following mathematical relationships tends to hold:.
$$\lambda \sim 11 w$$
and
$$r \sim…
Kenshin
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26
votes
3 answers
Why are alpine river water green - blue?
I recently visited Slovenia where I saw several rivers with a strong blue-green color.
Here is an example from one of the tributaries of the Soča river near Kobarid. The locals refer to it as an "emerald" color.
Notice how the color gets more…
Gimelist
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26
votes
1 answer
How much have global GPP and biomass changed over Earth's history?
I'm curious about how much is known about this topic: how much has the total amount of life on Earth changed over the 4 billion years or so that it has existed on this planet?
Are there estimates of global Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), or…
N. Virgo
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26
votes
2 answers
What are these undersea lines all around Hawaii?
On Google Earth, there are these radiating undersea lines all around Hawaii:
Here with a bit more contrast:
Unlike the other lines, they are pointed away (or toward) a single place.
What are these, how are they called and how did they form?
2080
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26
votes
2 answers
Why do some planets have lots of $\mathrm{N_2}$ and others none?
Earth, Titan and Venus all have large amounts of $\mathrm{N_2}$ in their atmospheres. (In the case of Venus it's a small proportion, but Venus' atmosphere is very thick, and the total mass of $\mathrm{N_2}$ is greater than Earth's.) However, other…
N. Virgo
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26
votes
3 answers
Why is Olympus Mons the largest volcano in the whole solar system?
Why is it that the volcanoes found in the Tharsis Montes region near the Martian equator, (one of which is Olympus Mons) so much larger than those found on Earth. In comparison, Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the tallest volcano on Earth, only rises 10 km…
schizoid_man
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26
votes
2 answers
Is there a name for the great circle where latitude and longitude are equal?
Is there a name for the great circle where latitude and longitude are equal? I have attempted a google search but only the equator and the prime meridian are defined in the sources I can find. ( It is of relevance in developing a map application…
Toivo Säwén
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26
votes
3 answers
Antarctic and arctic meltwater is "bad" because it's dark, but why is transparent liquid on white stuff so dark?
The Washington Post's Antarctic heat wave melted 20 percent of an island’s snow cover in days, caused melt ponds to proliferate includes the figure below of meltwater ponds on top of snow/ice.
The article is a good read, but my question is one of…
uhoh
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26
votes
2 answers
What is the line crossing the Pacific Ocean that is shown on maps?
The picture below shows an imaginary line on the globe which crosses the Pacific Ocean and works as a rough separator of the Eastern and Western hemispheres.
What is this line called in English? I'm trying to find the history behind its funny…
Igor Soloydenko
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25
votes
3 answers
Is there an upper bound to the amount of rain that can fall in an hour?
The record for most rainfall in a single hour is 12 inches (30.5 cm), set in Holt, Missouri, in 1947. What is the maximum amount of rainfall that could theoretically occur in an hour?
neubert
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25
votes
0 answers
How are Mauna Loa $\ce{CO2}$ monthly trends computed?
The problem
I am trying to figure out how $\ce{CO2}$ concentration trends are computed in the data provided by the Earth Systems Research Laboratory Mauna Loa Observatory. The data contains monthly measurements, seasonally corrected trend, and…
Dima Chubarov
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25
votes
2 answers
What is the cause of the jet streams?
Jet streams are fast-flowing currents of air in our earth's atmosphere. An enormous amount of energy is necessary to keep a jet stream going. Where does this come from and why?
Ben A. Noone
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25
votes
1 answer
How much of a mountain is below the surface?
Is there some kind of math rule for how much does a mountain extend (depth) below the surface?
I found an article like this http://www.livescience.com/6595-depth-himalayan-mountain-roots-revealed.html says that subduction is rare, does this mean…
Mohamed Atia
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