Free Dirt From Space - It's True And The Price Is Right Too!
Is the Earth getting bigger?
Yes, but only on a very long time scale is it growing. Where is the extra mass and additional Earth coming from - it's coming from space my friend. But let me explain, because this is indeed the coolest informational trivia you will get all week!
According to the report from the 2010 Conference; "Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Final Report," it has been stated, that we are getting a lot of free dirt from space each and every day, and indeed - "The average amount of material accreted daily to Earth is estimated to be in the range of 50 to 150 tons of very small objects (Love and Brownlee, 1993)."
Okay so, we are receiving dirt for free - from space. So, how much is 150 tons of dirt? About 10-15 very large dump truck loads - yes, that isn't a whole lot considering the size of this planet, but it adds up over millions and billions of years. What else do we get? Gases, which come from space on asteroids, meteorite fragments, and the occasional comet; this happens when frozen gases hit our atmosphere and vaporize, thus, staying here as gas now. Cool right, yes, it is, but it gets better.
We also get free water too! Often the ice is frozen H20 and thus we get water vapor from space. So, all in all, we get free water, free dirt, and free gases from space you see. And we get lots of this every day and while most of the dirt like material hits the Earth as dust, it still adds up, a little here and a little there. So, that's your trivia for today.
References:
1. "Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies: Final Report," by the Committee to Review Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies; National Research Council, Published By the National Academies Press, Washington DC., (2010), pages 152, ISBN: 0-309-14969-X.
About The Author:Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
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