Questions tagged [geophysics]
For questions relating to geophysics: the study, behavior, consequences, and technologies involving the physical properties of the Earth.
23
questions
8
votes
3answers
252 views
How could formamide lakes form on an exoplanet?
I've been recently looking into alternative biochemistries for life and the environments were these could be found. I already asked a question about how ammonia oceans might form a while back. Today I'...
8
votes
1answer
84 views
Geothermal gradients if Earth becomes a rogue planet?
Assume Earth has been wrenched out of the Sun's orbit and has become a rogue planet, with its surface equilibrium temperature falling to ~-240C.
At what depth will temperatures remain "comfortable" ...
3
votes
5answers
209 views
How to tackle one or multiple submerged continents
A part of the story I am writing involves two continents that centuries before the story takes place sunk into the sea.
I want to have a way to explain this that does not come down to just the sea ...
6
votes
1answer
159 views
How could you build an artificial planet-sized magnetic field?
I'm conceiving of a world where humans can readily terraform worlds that were once considered "dead" due to the planet's magnetic field being long gone. In such a situation, what could humans do to ...
5
votes
0answers
64 views
Relationship between Ocean Gases and Atmospheric Gases [closed]
A version of this question is posted in Chemistry SE but doesn't seem to be getting traction there. Perhaps this SE is a bette place for this question? If you think it belongs on a different SE please ...
11
votes
1answer
353 views
Defining a superfluid ocean
I'm working on a world where water acts as a high-temperature superfluid. Specifically, H2O's lambda point is above its boiling point. Thus, all liquid water on the planet behaves as a superfluid. It ...
3
votes
4answers
3k views
If a world had a massive single giant world tree could it stop an earthquake?
You know stuff like Yggdrasil tree but just a normal tree that is the biggest and tallest in the world. If the roots grow to surpass the continental and oceanic plate either it only cover some parts ...
4
votes
5answers
330 views
How could a very strong impact on a planet create deformations on the opposite side?
Update (6/20/19):
I have received some great answer here and they all mostly point to the fact that while effects on the opposite side of the planet are possible, the deformation may or may not ...
1
vote
0answers
73 views
what effect if the world have a single massive world giant tree? [closed]
you know stuff like ygdrasil tree but just a normal tree but the biggest and tallest in the world, i wonder what the effect to the world ? for an example if the root grow to surpass the continental ...
13
votes
4answers
362 views
Can a liquid sand ocean exist naturally?
I'm talking about this sort of liquid sand:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My4RA5I0FKs
"Desert-as-sea-analog" is present in many media, but often they lean heavily into fantasy, and it seems not ...
1
vote
3answers
129 views
What Else Could Create Jeffrey Linn's Coastlines BESIDES The Influence of Ice? [closed]
Who?
Unfortunately, I could not find any background information about Jeffrey Linn, but he is better known for his sea level maps. Specifically, what a particular city would look like if sea levels ...
0
votes
5answers
118 views
How Can the Coastlines Look Similar In Spite of the Cooler Temperature
The established fact is that the shape of a planet's continental coastlines is determined by the planet's climate. Higher temperatures mean less ice, which ultimately means higher sea levels. (Case ...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Earth tilt changes due to space launches
How many rocket launches are needed to change the axial tilt of the Earth so much that it is noticeable with instruments available today?
We can assume that we are talking about the heaviest rocket ...
1
vote
1answer
65 views
How would constant rhythmic tsunamis affect the coast lines of the Atlantic Ocean?
Premise: a massive organic structure sits somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean giving of an intermittent telekinetic pulse. This would presumably create a constant chain of tsunamis.
What sort of abnormal ...
3
votes
7answers
558 views
Creating flying cities
Writing about suspended cities within a planet's atmosphere! The story itself focuses on the air forces that fight for each of the hundreds of floating city states living in the sky, but that's here ...
3
votes
1answer
250 views
Any potential problems with the density of a planet with a volume 8 times that of Earth but the same surface gravity as Earth?
Assuming that there is an Earth-like planet that has 8 times the volume, 2.83 times the radius, and has the same surface gravity as Earth, and has oceans; what are potential problems concerning the ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
Oceanic crust formation
I'm working on a earth-like planet with a much lower sea level (like 3000m so the mid-ocean ridge would form many islands) but is that even possible? Will the emerged ridge make some weird stuff and ...
5
votes
2answers
143 views
How might the cooling of the Earth's core be accelerated?
Essentially, what would be the most efficient way of causing the Earth's core to cool as much as possible without damaging human civilization in any other way (the outcome can damage it, but not the ...
-1
votes
1answer
153 views
Could a natural satellite in geosynchronous orbit be used as a counterweight to a space elevator?
Could a natural satellite in geosynchronous orbit be used as a counterweight for a space elevator? Does the counterweight need to be of approximately the same weight as the anchor? If so, I suppose ...
1
vote
3answers
164 views
Lifting water from a subterranean lake by boiling it?
A medieval-tech desert city relies on a nearby subterranean lake for their water source. In lieu of employing thousands of slaves carrying pots up a long series of tunnels, could the intrepid desert ...
9
votes
3answers
725 views
Is an offset mountain range plausible?
For my world, I would like a coastal mountain range that partway along its length is offset by a few (say, 100) kilometres, forming a pass through the mountains, like so:
(N.B. I've drawn this very ...
0
votes
2answers
138 views
Could there be a plausible description for a kind of radioactive ore that can amplify the energy of a host or object, or potentially destroy it? [closed]
This kind of ore should be rare (maybe from meteorites?), dangerous (radioactive?), but potentially very useful in a world where people have augmented abilities, cybernetic attachments, that sort of ...
7
votes
4answers
811 views
Can a dual planet have an orbit around the Sun similar to Earth's?
This is a sequel to my previous question How big could a moon be before its orbit became too unstable or tidally locked to its planet
OK, let's imagine that the thing everyone thought was a moon was ...
