Re: Hypothesis Involving Planetoid Impacts

"Professor Gauss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Christof Kuhn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >Professor Gauss wrote:
> >> Not being a geologist, I am new to this group, but have a hypothesis
and I
> >was
> >> wondering if it has been discussed yet by geologists, either here or
> >elsewhere.
> >
> >On subjects like this, you'll find plenty of discussions here, some of
> >them more serious and some less, but most of them in a quite emotional
> >way, so expect the worst, then you may be positively surprised :-)
> >
> >>  Here is the hypothesis:
> >>
> >> 1) The early earth was smaller than it is now.  It had a crust floating
on
> >top
> >> of a mantle which covered the entire earth.  The crust formed following
an
> >> extended period of chemical reactions at the earth's surface.  A
possible
> >> example of such a reaction is the hydration of minerals caused by the
> >> absorption of water from the atmosphere.
> >>
> >A similar theory is used by the so-called Earth Expansionists.
> >
> >Many scientists think that the continental crust formed by magma
> >differentiation on top of the mantle (which is not molten, just to be
> >sure...).
>
> You state that the mantle is solid, and (later) that the only liquid
portion of
> the earth's interior is the outer core.  I thought that the mantle was
liquid
> and thus supports continental drift.

No.  The mantle is a solid that behaves as a plastic due to heat and
pressure.  Hence it flows, albeit slowly.

> BTW, thank you for your kind reply.  And I did enjoy at least one flame,
from
> George, who agreed with me that I am not a geologist.  Although it is OK
to
> know that I am not wrong about everything, nothing worthwhile was
contributed
> by his reply.  Thanks again.

Sorry about that.  Bad hair day.  I hope I did better with the above
response.