Is Earth getting bigger/heavier?

[mattnunn]

Derek Smith said:

mattnunn said:

I think there is credible research to suggest that the really big dinasaurs were at about the limit that gravity would allow, if they got much bigger they'd essentially crush themselves, it's also why they took to spending large amounts of time in water. Elephants aren't far of that now I believe and hippos couldn't survive all their time out of water because it gives them terrible bunions.

The theory that the larger herbivores spent their time in water has been largely discounted. Most elephants do not spend large amounts of time in water either.

They do that's why they always have their trunks with them...

[TheTurbonator]

Surley the rock cycle, is the answer to the OP's question, as to why the Earth isn't getting bigger (apart from space debris)?

[SpeckledJim]

SWAT78 said:

itsnotarace said:

The planet is actually getting lighter due to loss of hydrogen, despite gaining spacedust

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16787636

I've always assumed that we're getting lighter due to making big heavy things out of metal and blasting them into space.

Wonder how many satellites we'd have to make before the gravitational pull of the earth reduced sufficiently for the moon to fly off like a giant space marble...

Well, the satellites (of utterly negligible mass anyway) are orbiting the earth, so they are attracting the moon whether they're on the ground or in orbit.

[SpeckledJim]

Plant life takes water and minerals from below the ground and using sunlight, makes bio-matter above the ground, which dies and forms layers over time.

Surely that's why archaology always has to dig a bit first.

[Terminator X]

SWAT78 said:

Wonder how many satellites we'd have to make before the gravitational pull of the earth reduced sufficiently for the moon to fly off like a giant space marble...

It's already getting further away by 4cm a year

TX.

[jmorgan]

Yeah but it won't fly away. Reading it would take around 15 billion years to stabilize. But the Sun has other idea's.

[Terminator X]

jmorgan said:

Yeah but it won't fly away. Reading it would take around 15 billion years to stabilize. But the Sun has other idea's.

Only a billion years left until it gets too hot for us to handle, ah the real global warming story

TX.

[Flibble]

SWAT78 said:

I've always assumed that we're getting lighter due to making big heavy things out of metal and blasting them into space.

Wonder how many satellites we'd have to make before the gravitational pull of the earth reduced sufficiently for the moon to fly off like a giant space marble...

If we launched a billion satellites the size of the ISS and shot them off into space we'd have reduced the mass of the earth by less than 1 billionth of 1 percent. I don't think we need to worry just yet.