Huge 'Ocean' Discovered Inside Earth

jowey · 12-11-2007, 06:17 PM

http://www.livescience.com/environme...g_anomoly.html

Quote:

Scientists scanning the deep interior of Earth have found evidence of a vast water reservoir beneath eastern Asia that is at least the volume of the Arctic Ocean.

The discovery marks the first time such a large body of water has found in the planet’s deep mantle.

The finding, made by Michael Wysession, a seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis, and his former graduate student Jesse Lawrence, now at the University of California, San Diego, will be detailed in a forthcoming monograph to be published by the American Geophysical Union.

Looking down deep

The pair analyzed more than 600,000 seismograms—records of waves generated by earthquakes traveling through the Earth—collected from instruments scattered around the planet.

They noticed a region beneath Asia where seismic waves appeared to dampen, or “attenuate,” and also slow down slightly. “Water slows the speed of waves a little,” Wysession explained. “Lots of damping and a little slowing match the predictions for water very well.”

disfigured · 12-11-2007, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Scientists scanning the deep interior of Earth have found evidence of a vast water reservoir beneath eastern Asia that is at least the volume of the Arctic Ocean.

Great, now when water becomes a tool of power and influence (and it will), we'll be dealing with crazy Buddhists, or what ever the fuck they are over there.

Invade now....... it's preemptive to preserve our future drinking water.

The_Heretic · 12-11-2007, 06:57 PM

Imagine if there's life in that ocean; life that evolved with complete independence of solar energy and phtosynthetic producers organisms.

Anyone seen the movie The Cave?

Titanium Cat · 12-11-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disfigured

Great, now when water becomes a tool of power and influence (and it will), we'll be dealing with crazy Buddhists, or what ever the fuck they are over there.

Invade now....... it's preemptive to preserve our future drinking water.

It might not be fresh water. But even if it is at a depth of 620 miles it's going to take one hell of a long time to reach it with a drill.

Titanium Cat · 12-11-2007, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

Imagine if there's life in that ocean; life that evolved with complete independence of solar energy and phtosynthetic producers organisms.

Anyone seen the movie The Cave?

That would be interesting. One would wonder though if ambient heat would be enough of an energy source to maintain any sort of life.

The_Heretic · 12-11-2007, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titanium Cat

That would be interesting. One would wonder though if ambient heat would be enough of an energy source to maintain any sort of life.

On the ocean floor the ecosystems are fully powered by geothermal heat with no sunlight at all. It's enough biomass for sperm whales to cruisin' after giant squid down there.

Titanium Cat · 12-11-2007, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

On the ocean floor the ecosystems are fully powered by geothermal heat with no sunlight at all. It's enough biomass for sperm whales to cruisin' after giant squid down there.

An excellent point. The geothermal heat would probably be greater in those pockets as well.

The_Heretic · 12-11-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titanium Cat

An excellent point. The geothermal heat would probably be greater in those pockets as well.

The kicker here is that life in this pocket has no connection to terrestrial life. The metabolic pathways would be far removed from almost anything we know, let alone the biological classifications, anatomy, niches, etc.

Ouroboros · 12-11-2007, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

The kicker here is that life in this pocket has no connection to terrestrial life. The metabolic pathways would be far removed from almost anything we know, let alone the biological classifications, anatomy, niches, etc.

If there is life down there, it may not even be carbon based.

gorillamom · 12-11-2007, 11:17 PM

It would be interesting to see what kind of life there is. I have no doubt there is. I'm sure research is in the future on this one. Interesting.

12-11-2007, 06:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
The_Heretic Master of Quill-Fu Space Invaders Champion! Yeti Sports 1- Long Shot Version Champion! Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Taylorsville, UT [stuck in the 20th century]. Posts: 6,067 Blog Entries: 4 Thanks: 28 Thanked 84 Times in 59 Posts	Imagine if there's life in that ocean; life that evolved with complete independence of solar energy and phtosynthetic producers organisms. Anyone seen the movie The Cave? __________________ John McCain: "He's in Iraq... with a few centuries to kill." *You won't fight for the Bill of Right? Fine! I won't fight for you in the ballot box!*
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12-11-2007, 11:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
gorillamom Beyond Liberal Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: The Great Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,153 My Mood: Thanks: 47 Thanked 13 Times in 7 Posts	It would be interesting to see what kind of life there is. I have no doubt there is. I'm sure research is in the future on this one. Interesting. __________________ The Clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power, To tell just when the hands will stop On what day or what hour. Now is the only time we have, So live it with a will, Don't wait until tomorrow, The hands may then be still.
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