Scientist claims Earth has shrinking waistline
Published: 05 October, 2009, 14:15
Edited: 01 November, 2009, 21:30
TAGS: Russia, SciTech, Thrills&Spills
Our planet is shrinking, says a Russian geologist. Since its early days the Earth’s average radius has reduced by 585 kilometers.
Vyacheslav Orlenok, professor of geology at the Kant Russian State University in Kaliningrad, compared ancient relief structures to those of today, he reports in a paper.
He says 4.5 billion years ago, when Earth’s surface had just started to solidify, the little blue ball was a bit bigger. Its average radius was 6,956 km, and has since reduced by 585 km.
Over the eons this resulted in the reduction of its surface by 128 million square kilometers, as compared to the total area of all the continents today of about 149 million square kilometers. The shrinking is a major factor in tectonic processes such as the movement of continental platforms, Orlenok says.
The reduction in size was due to gravitational forces and the loss of mass caused by the Sun’s radiation blowing away hydrogen atoms from the Earth’s atmosphere, explains the scientist, who has been studying the formation of Earth’s oceans and crust for more than 30 years.
The theory of a shrinking earth is contestable, commented Vladimir Shevchenko, a geologist at the Institute of Earth Physics, who spoke to Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.
“Now it’s impossible to make an exact calculation of the ancient Earth’s radius based on ancient structures,” he said, adding that alternative theories of an expanding or “pulsating" Earth also exist.
Back in 2007, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany reported that Earth’s radius was 2.5 millimeters smaller than geologists previously though. However it was not due to shrinking, but rather a more accurate measurement technique used by the team.
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Not too sure about this tree theory of yours Suresh Bansal, but as I understand it, the current situation is that the heliosphere of the Sun, its' magnetic shield which encompasses the planetary solar system, is retracting as a direct result of our entire solar system passing through the galactic plane as it regulary does about every 11,000 thousand years. This event is what is refered to by passing through the so-called dark rift. It is important to understand that the planetary solar system, of which we on Earth are part of, will soon be exposed to un-known effects from outer space because the Suns' magnetic shield will continue retracting until it exposes Earth. In this matter, if E=MC/2 then energy is matter and this exposure, of which we are even now begining to receive, will be converted in to matter. Thus, the core of Earth is composed of plasma. Plasma has many unique qualities, like gravity for instance, and this theory of energy, or radiation of un-known energy from space, is much more realistic than the absurd notion that the center of earth is composed of a molten core of Iron. To summerize then, the energy is converted in to matter and, thus, the earth expands. This explains the earth quakes which are growing more frequent and stronger. We should expect these effects for some time. The worst should be over with in four years. I seriously doubt that anything which seems vital today will be so in the near future. I'd like to suggest that anyone who reads this does their own homework. After that, well, find a cute boy or girl, lay in some supplies, and get ready for something like primitive conditions. Hope this helps put things together for you all. Good luck all you Russians, Seriously! I love the hot Russians!
This is just nonsens. There is still in earth sciences in Russia a strong oposition to the plate tectonics theory: plates are created at ocean ridges and consumed at trenches; so the Earth size is the same through time. There is a small goup of scientists that still denies the existence of subduction processes and plate tectonics. Cheers, Dr. Vlad Manea Professor of Geophysics
even if this was true IF EARTH CAN LOSS WEIGHT SO CAN AMERICA hell we need too were fatty's over here