While I'm not a big fan of extending Unemployment Benefits, as they've found that as long as the benefits are being paid out, a large percentage don't bother even looking for work, I am less a fan of giving out Foreign Aid Grants - Jordan today received $359.5 MILLION "to support the kingdom's economic and political development". These countries are laughing at us, all the way to the bank.
28 September 2011
27 September 2011
Glacial Isostatic Adjustment
So, when I was contemplating this last year, and tried to come up with an answer, I reached out to several geo-type folks here on the magical In-ter-net. No one I contacted knew of or had ever heard of what I questioned.
Now, I come to find, there's a whole line of study concerning it.
Q: How is the loss of the glaciers effecting the tectonic plates beneath them? With all that weight of the ice being "lost" to atmospheric warming, shouldn't the rock under it have less pressure, hence move "up" or "over"?
A: Yes. And it's called Glacial Isostatic Adjustment.
The best way I've thought to explain this would be a floating dock. You can usually find this in and along lake shores of seasonal retreats. During the summer months, they get put out onto the water for access. And, once the cold weather comes, they get removed and stored for the next year. They are typically made with some type of decking; wood, aluminum, steel. This is then attached to a series of flotation devices (plastic drums) filled with air or foam, in a sufficient amount to maintain the deck, and the weight of the people using it, above the water.
Now, imagine that the water is the earth's mantle and the deck is one of the tectonic plates. People (the ice) starts to gather on it. With the increase in people, the deck floats lower and lower on the water. But, it does not sink. If the number of people increases on one side or the other, the deck will shift accordingly. It will remain afloat, but it will continue to compensate for the changes.
Imagine a series of docks floating out on the lake, all held together by a rope going around the outside of them. Each one can carry the same amount of weight per square foot, but they aren't all the same size. So, if 10 people are standing on a large one and then all move to a smaller one, that one will likely ride a little lower than the first. So, depending on the size of the deck and the amount of weight it's carrying, you can see that it will float differently on the water.
Now, replace the decks with tectonic plates and the people with water; some of it frozen, some of it liquid. Always the same number, but sometimes changing position. THAT is Glacial Isostatic Adjustment. To put it simply, the plates beneath the glaciers are losing all the weight from the ice, and are rising, and the plates beneath all the water are gaining the weight from all that newly "created" water and are sinking.
This, I believe, is why the earth is seeing more activity with volcanoes, earthquakes, and changes in oceanographic weather patterns.
Now, I come to find, there's a whole line of study concerning it.
Q: How is the loss of the glaciers effecting the tectonic plates beneath them? With all that weight of the ice being "lost" to atmospheric warming, shouldn't the rock under it have less pressure, hence move "up" or "over"?
A: Yes. And it's called Glacial Isostatic Adjustment.
The best way I've thought to explain this would be a floating dock. You can usually find this in and along lake shores of seasonal retreats. During the summer months, they get put out onto the water for access. And, once the cold weather comes, they get removed and stored for the next year. They are typically made with some type of decking; wood, aluminum, steel. This is then attached to a series of flotation devices (plastic drums) filled with air or foam, in a sufficient amount to maintain the deck, and the weight of the people using it, above the water.
Now, imagine that the water is the earth's mantle and the deck is one of the tectonic plates. People (the ice) starts to gather on it. With the increase in people, the deck floats lower and lower on the water. But, it does not sink. If the number of people increases on one side or the other, the deck will shift accordingly. It will remain afloat, but it will continue to compensate for the changes.
Imagine a series of docks floating out on the lake, all held together by a rope going around the outside of them. Each one can carry the same amount of weight per square foot, but they aren't all the same size. So, if 10 people are standing on a large one and then all move to a smaller one, that one will likely ride a little lower than the first. So, depending on the size of the deck and the amount of weight it's carrying, you can see that it will float differently on the water.
Now, replace the decks with tectonic plates and the people with water; some of it frozen, some of it liquid. Always the same number, but sometimes changing position. THAT is Glacial Isostatic Adjustment. To put it simply, the plates beneath the glaciers are losing all the weight from the ice, and are rising, and the plates beneath all the water are gaining the weight from all that newly "created" water and are sinking.
This, I believe, is why the earth is seeing more activity with volcanoes, earthquakes, and changes in oceanographic weather patterns.
15 March 2011
Saving Daylight
Reach
long and hard to find
a limb hanging slow
in the wind.
Touch
soft and gentle
budding leaves
to reveal the truth.
Gaze
deep, but swift
at the falcon
sweeping past.
Stop
now and ever
seeing beyond
the forest surround.
Understand
you are once
with and without
all around you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)