Posted on 01/19/2017 7:30:36 AM PST by MtnClimber
For decades, scientists have theorized that the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates is driven largely by negative buoyancy created as they cool. New research, however, shows plate dynamics are driven significantly by the additional force of heat drawn from the Earth’s core.
The new findings also challenge the theory that underwater mountain ranges known as mid-ocean ridges are passive boundaries between moving plates. The findings show the East Pacific Rise, the Earth’s dominant mid-ocean ridge, is dynamic as heat is transferred.
David B. Rowley, professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, and fellow researchers came to the conclusions by combining observations of the East Pacific Rise with insights from modeling of the mantle flow there. The findings were published Dec. 23 in Science Advances.
“We see strong support for significant deep mantle contributions of heat-to-plate dynamics in the Pacific hemisphere,” said Rowley, lead author of the paper. “Heat from the base of the mantle contributes significantly to the strength of the flow of heat in the mantle and to the resultant plate tectonics.”
The researchers estimate up to approximately 50 percent of plate dynamics are driven by heat from the Earth’s core and as much as 20 terawatts of heat flow between the core and the mantle.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.uchicago.edu ...
Interesting article.
So, what’s new here? Nothing that I see. This central theory is quite old.
Searching for grant money.
Well duh... Al Gore told us the earth’s interior was millions of degrees. One might reason that level of heat could have an impact on plate tectonics.
“The interior of the earth is several millions of degrees.” – Al Gore
In other news, heat from a stovetop burner causes water in a pot to boil.
The snowflakes tell us that man made gorebull warming causes earthquakes and volcanos to erupt.
Well, manbearpig did caution us that right under our feet the temp is millions of degrees hot. So, anyone got tickets to his “erf in the balance Pt deux”? Didn’t think so, you damn deniers.
Ah, another example of President Eisenhower’s other warning in his farewell address:
“In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.”
“Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.”
“The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.”
In other news...The Sun has been discovered to be the root cause of Global Warming. Film at 11!
Not really new. As the article alludes, this was theorized in the 70’s, but I think even somewhat earlier, as I studied it in the mid-60’s as a Geography/Geology student.
The four years I spent studying, and the more I learned how all of the Earths systems are interrelated and that man can do very little to affect them on a global basis, was the start of my confirmed belief in a superior being.
Atheists are such fools.
(It also took me years to learn the art of the run-on sentence.)
Manbearpig flunked out of the Elmer Gantry school of Religious Hucksters so why should I believe his new religious hatred of man?
Might that have an impact on global surface temperatures?
The hell you say. You mean the science on the Earth's molten core isn't even settled???
Who are these Molten Core deniers!? I want charges brought against them!
This plate tectonics stuff is made man. There’s no denying that. /s
Gee...maybe some of that heat contained in the molten core just might migrate to the surface...and to the surrounding atmosphere. Maybe some of that molten heat might account for changes to seawater acidity or chemical composition.
Anthroprogenic Continental Drift. I knew it!
So...in a sense it is true “global warming”? Who knew???
Ya think! I have been saying this for years. And is a classic example of why the AGW/ACC or whatever is a ‘crock of crap’.
First besides being unable to account for in any fashion possible gravitational influences that may or may not vary, we don’t know. Fictional energy is generally manifested in the form of heat
There is also the super continent theories; there is no evidence that plat movement has stopped, obviously.
In 2013 the earth’s core temperature was revised upwards by 1,000 degrees centigrade. 23 years earlier it was 1,000C cooler. Wonder what happened here. Bad guesses before or old equipment versus new tech, really just goes to show we do not know. But if there actually was a change of 1,000C over 23 years, this is really not good.
However no mention on how that might effect global temperature or climate theories. Also the Kola bore hole, the temperatures discovered were higher then predicted and the project abandoned. I believe one of the reasons for the temperature revision.
I believe we have big issues coming up with the ‘earth wanting to vent off a little steam’, so to say. Look at the earthquakes and volcanoes, we are do for some significant change that there is not a damn thing we can about.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.