just like a balloon, when we slowly release the air, it starts to deflate. i get worried, that that's what is going, and probably is happening to the earth.
2006-07-12 07:03:25 · 11 answers · asked by Gordy 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
NO for two reasons:
1. those materials are mainly found in pores, the space between grains of rock. Taking those things out leaves empty space, but it's the space between the load-bearing parts of the formation. It's like taking people out of a house, the people don't hold it up, the house itself holds itself up.
2. the amount that we have pumped or will pump is still so small relative to the size of the earth, it is insignificant.
The one exception is water. In the outer-most layer of soil and rock on the earth, water is a major component, and people that overuse groundwater have seen subsidence of the ground. This has famously happened in the central valley of California.
By the way, this process does not form earthquakes (maybe microearthquakes, but that's it). Sometimes pumping fluids INTO the ground can cause earthquakes (still not big ones) by lubricating the faults so they can move.
2006-07-12 08:05:53 · answer #1 · answered by QFL 24-7 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The earth does "implode" slightly when gas and oil are produced. Subsidence caused by the production of gas in the Grongingen gas field in Holland has been quite considerable (if only becasue Holland is barely above sea level).
The amount of subsidence varies with the petrophysical properties of the reservoir. Subsidence is a local phenomenon, the earth won't implode.
All oil and gas is produced from the earths crust which represents less than 1% of the diameter of the earth.
2006-07-16 05:59:46 · answer #2 · answered by INFOPOTAMUS 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As to whether the entire earth will implode - see the other answers (the hydrocarbons we remove from the earth are a miniscule fraction of the earth's crust alone, which in itself is just a thin veneer covering the surface of our planet).
As to whether oil and gas fields will implode (i.e. leaving great gaping chasms in the earth's surface), the answer is also no. Most oil and gas fields are several miles down, with the oil or gas trapped in the pore spaces of rock that is pretty compact and strong. When the oil and gas is removed, water usually moves in from aquifers to fill the void space. Oil companies often inject water to keep the pressure up in places where there are no effective aquifers.
That said, it is not entirely unknown for some soft formations to undergo compaction, causing subsidence at the surface. This has happened in several North Sea oilfields, and was sufficiently serious to necessitate re-design of the production facilities.
2006-07-13 05:29:36 · answer #3 · answered by b d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, unless we start taking a *lot* more material from *much* further down! All of the mineral harvesting that is done comes from the top few kilometers of the Earth's radius.
For example, the deepest drilling operation up till now only reached 12,262m or approximately 12 kilometers. The radius of the earth is approximately 6,000 kilometers.
If you look at changes more mild that "imploding", the answer is that they do happen. For instance, water taken out of the aquifer below New Orleans has caused the city to actually sink.
2006-07-12 14:14:39 · answer #4 · answered by Aaron 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. As we slowly siphon fluids from the earth it will slowly deflate until random buildings begin sinking into the earth and disappearing forever. Actually, if you take a look at your house you may already see signs of sinkage. After a while semis will fall right through the highway and sink into the earth. It can only go down hill from there.
2006-07-12 16:30:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No scientist do not feel this will happen but rather it could cause a shift on the earth's axis due to the increase of earthquakes, volcano eruptions. When it was deemed at one time this could be a problem, it was introduced to replace the gas, and oils extracted with a substance to prevent this. I can't remember what they were using at the time or if they are continuing with this process.
2006-07-12 18:14:15 · answer #6 · answered by celtic-tides04@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The amount of gas and oil we extract, compared to the mass of the Earth is miniscule.
If what you worry about were at all possible, it would have happened already in some of the volcanic explosions of the past, where the amount of material ejected was in the 50 cubic mile and up range.
2006-07-12 14:12:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the amount we are taking out is from the crust which even if we removed all of it (which would mean we were standing on molten iron) we would only have taken less than 2% of the earth away.
2006-07-12 14:08:04 · answer #8 · answered by setsunaandkurai 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope, that stuff is just in a thin, thin shell of the crust. The big part of earth is molten rock.
2006-07-12 14:06:53 · answer #9 · answered by mattias carlsson 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It wont implode, but run out, it will.
2006-07-12 14:06:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋