Post by Caligastia Lanonandek on Feb 27, 2009 8:59:27 GMT -5
I saw a very interesting show on the History channel with regards to the Marianas Trench, the deepest place on earth.
The trench is a subduction zone. That means that the eastern plate is moving under the western plate. Co coinsidentally, thousands of miles to the west, you have the pacific ridge (underwater) where volcanic activity is creating new land.
Here's the rub, marianas is eating it up faster than its being created so in about 4 million years, Australia would be near Seattle (where once it was).
This is the part I found interesting. Subduction zones typically, get a lot of earthquake or volcanic activity. The Marianas doesn't.
What happens is that the eastern plate is made of a soft rock.
As it goes under the other plate, it gets chewed up and turned into mud. That mud is expelled in mini volcanos to the east of the subduction zone and it tends to lubricate the action of the 2 plates and no quakes or volcanos.
Forget what you think about the dinosauers being the source of oil, it is this interaction between tectonic plates that causes a natural lubricant (like the mud) to be produced AND it is constantly renewing itself.
Also consider where the big oil producing areas are. Texas and Oklahoma are near the continental divide (a subduction zone).
California is on the ring of fire with active tectonic movement.
Just about any part of the world with heavy oil deposits
will share these features.
It follows that it would be many millions of years before the planet might even run dry and the sun would probably die first.
Interesting trivia
The trench is a subduction zone. That means that the eastern plate is moving under the western plate. Co coinsidentally, thousands of miles to the west, you have the pacific ridge (underwater) where volcanic activity is creating new land.
Here's the rub, marianas is eating it up faster than its being created so in about 4 million years, Australia would be near Seattle (where once it was).
This is the part I found interesting. Subduction zones typically, get a lot of earthquake or volcanic activity. The Marianas doesn't.
What happens is that the eastern plate is made of a soft rock.
As it goes under the other plate, it gets chewed up and turned into mud. That mud is expelled in mini volcanos to the east of the subduction zone and it tends to lubricate the action of the 2 plates and no quakes or volcanos.
Forget what you think about the dinosauers being the source of oil, it is this interaction between tectonic plates that causes a natural lubricant (like the mud) to be produced AND it is constantly renewing itself.
Also consider where the big oil producing areas are. Texas and Oklahoma are near the continental divide (a subduction zone).
California is on the ring of fire with active tectonic movement.
Just about any part of the world with heavy oil deposits
will share these features.
It follows that it would be many millions of years before the planet might even run dry and the sun would probably die first.
Interesting trivia
