Posted on 03/05/2007 6:15:54 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LONDON (Reuters) - A team of British scientists has set sail on a voyage to examine why a huge chunk of the earth's crust is missing, deep under the Atlantic Ocean -- a phenomenon that challenges conventional ideas about how the earth works.
The 20-strong team aims to survey an area some 3,000 to 4,000 metres deep where the mantle -- the deep interior of the earth normally covered by a crust kilometres thick -- is exposed on the sea floor.
Experts describe the hole along the mid-Atlantic ridge as an "open wound" on the ocean floor that has puzzled scientists for the five or so years that its existence has been known because it defies existing tectonic plate theories of evolution.
"We know so little about it," said Bramley Murton, a senior research scientist at Southampton's National Oceanography Center.
"It's a real challenge to our established understanding of what the earth's surface looks like underneath the waves," he told Reuters by telephone from the brand new, hi-tech British research ship RRS James Cook.
Mid ocean ridges are places where new oceanic crust is born, with red-hot lava spewing out along the seafloor.
What scientists are keen to know is whether the crust was ripped away by huge geological faults, or whether it never even developed in the first place.
The primary motivation for the project was to understand how the earth continues to evolve.
"The area that we are looking at is part of a mountain range that spans thousands of square kilometres, but we are beginning to realize that there are probably millions of square kilometres where the ocean floor is missing," Murton said.
The six week mission, led by geophysicist Roger Searle of Durham University and Chris MacLeod of Cardiff University's School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, will recover sample cores of rock by drilling into the mantle using a rig lowered on to the sea floor.
Asked if the discovery posed a threat to the environment, Murton replied: "It's not problematic for the earth because it is a natural earth process -- but in terms of knowing how the earth works and how the world is put together it is important."
Murton also said the expedition would shed light on the composition of sea water amongst other initiatives.
Crust formation is a fundamental mechanism of the earth which affects the chemistry of the world's oceans.
Progress by the research team can be monitored via a live web link to the ship at: http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/JC007/.
Where exactly is this mysterious gap in the earths crust?
I swear...I don't have it.
"Your inane post on a serious thread does not advance the cause of Free Republic. Such sophomoric attempts at humor bring discredit to FR and validate the growing perception that this forum has become a magnet for inarticulate people that would be better suited in chat room for lonesome adolescents. Feel free to post again after you have matured a bit."
My reply is as follows:
Without naming you, I have posted your message in the thread, with my reply, for the edification of others.
Point by point:
This is not and never was a serious thread. The subject matter is frankly ludicrous. Alarmist fantasies about the fate of the Earth have besieged us of late, and the claims have become ever more apocalyptic. Injecting levity is my way of expressing my disdain for such stuff.
I am not here to "advance the cause", but to engage in discussion, occasionally humorous and once in a while sophomoric, with like-minded people.
I don't give a wet slap whether leftists think I'm inarticulate; I will let the syntax, grammar, and spelling in my posts speak for me on that issue. While not calling you a leftist, I aver that I will not give that self-same wet slap for your opinion either.
As for maturity, Neener neener neener.
Thank you and good night, or morning, as applicable.
I got that e-mail too.
My response: Don't we "feel" superior.
I sense a disturbance in the Force, as though several voices had cried out "neener neener" at once, and then had more coffee.
Speaking of which...
He isn't really arrogant, just a whole lot better than us.
It is true that Gore ate the crust and that he has a larger than average crust foot print. However, he wrote a check to himself in a special crust offset program so everything averages out to zero.
Please just disregard the large residual hole. Move along, nothing to see here.
I checked back and there are pictures but not what I was hoping for. Take a look
http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/gg/classroom@sea/news/index.html
And if we can't find it we could always replace it by gathering up all the crusts that are removed from kid's sandwiches by over-indulgent moms.
He sent me that Freepmail three times. I looked at his posting history. Most of it was the same thing.
I kinda felt sorry for him.
I don't think he has any friends.
Did you check out his profile page?
He only seems better than us because he is better than us. LOL
I got the email too.
I wonder if this person policies all the threads about death and other serious tragedies? Always lots of irreverent, disrespectful and 'inane' posts on those!
Verily! This is most serial!
Who would be responsible if a passing aircraft carrier fell into the hole? Shouldn't the UN get to work patching it right away? Who would get the contract, who would supply that much cement? What if it's a drain and filling it up would cause the Pacific to back up over Hawaii?
Something must be done, we can't have a hole in the ocean! What neglect!
Then again- how long has it been there? Has it hurt anyone?
There are so many things it could be!
The planet's naval-or worse!
Truly- I am boggled. Let's send the King of Environmentalism-Algore- to explore it!
It's hard to have fun on this thread now. We need that picture of the cat that says "I are Serious Cat. This is Serious Thread."
"Chill out! This is not about evolution but about geology. Totally different science. I realize the reporter said evolve in the article, but in this case it's simply a synonym for change."
Perhaps you should be addressing this to Bone Head or oh, "Buffalo Head". I don't need idiotic private FR e-mails from Bone Heads or Buffafo Heads. No, the author meant what he said in using the word "evolution".
You also may want to "chill out".
Maybe Michael Moore ate it.
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