Re: Shrinking Earth


"Aidan Karley" <doIlookDAFTenoughTOpost@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote in message
news:VA.00000ae1.11e87947@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> In article <iPBkf.11054$ea6.6251@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Chriso
> wrote:
>> Radioactive elements in the earths core could fission
>> and split into 2 elements, thus occupying twice the space.
>>
>> Over geological time the mass of the earth would remain the
>> same but the volume it occupied would increase markedly.
>>
> Hmmm, interesting (about the only interesting thing to come out
> of Don's obsession).
> A for-instance :
> Uranium -> I + Rb + He
> Atomic number 92 53 37 2
> Ionic radius (Å) 0.52 2.2 1.52 Gas

Thanks Aidan, I appreciate your expansion and back of the envelope
calculations.

It is an expansion factor of 4, but as you point out the hypothesis fails
if you assume cosmic abundancy applies to the Earth's interior. Maybe it
doesn't? The core of Earth is still molten and Mars has a solid core so
something is different. There are other radioactive elements, and what
about a fast breeder scenario where radioactive elements are being
produced as a byproduct of the fission chain?

The chasms on Mars would fall into the category of natural phenomena that
might be explained by an expanding Mars. They sure look like stretch
marks to my untutored eye. Perhaps the chaotic outfalls could also find
an explanation here?

The physics of the Earths's core would have to be beyond our normal
experience and understanding with P & T way beyond what we are familiar
with and because of the differentiated nature of the Earth nearly all of
the heavy elements available in the primordial sphere would have found
their way to the core providing a reservior of long half life elements.

I think its strange that Einstein could develop his theories, Werner von
Braun his rockets and the US Fatman before 1945 ended, but it took
Schoemaker's work in the 60s to convince geologists that the Meteorite
crater in Arizona was a meteorite crater, not a volcanic manifestation.

Maybe thats the way science works, someone has to put together a paper
that convincingly presents an irrefutable argument- but its not the way
Usenet works.

my2c
chriso




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Shrinking Earth
    ... > Radioactive elements in the earths core could fission ... > Over geological time the mass of the earth would remain the ... in volume on fission. ... reaction of the fuel element's cladding with the heat exchange medium. ...
    (sci.geo.geology)
  • Re: Shrinking Earth
    ... >>> I had an idea that might explain an expanding earth. ... >>> Radioactive elements in the earths core could fission ... >> doubled due to fission and how much appropriate nuclear material ... The sci nomenclature in the name of the newsgroup ought to give ...
    (sci.geo.geology)
  • Re: Shrinking Earth
    ... >> I had an idea that might explain an expanding earth. ... >> Radioactive elements in the earths core could fission ... > Fission releases energy. ...
    (sci.geo.geology)
  • Re: Shrinking Earth
    ... > I had an idea that might explain an expanding earth. ... > Radioactive elements in the earths core could fission ... Fission releases energy. ... That energy isn't "free". ...
    (sci.geo.geology)
  • Re: Tap the supervolcanoes to prevent a worldwide catastrophy
    ... > any fission reaction within the core would have long past used all ... yielding 200 MeV of energy per atom, at the Earth's core. ... that thermal power within the Earth cannot come from uranium. ... radioactive decay power within the Earth isn't the ~100 TW ...
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