Is the earth changing?

Question

Will the shape of the continutes change and if so how long do we have?

Answer 1

Yes, they move and change, but only as fast as your fingernails grow.

It is somewhere between 0.5 and 1 billion years for the cycle of the continents combining, splitting apart, and reconvening.

No need to worry.

Answer 2

The earth is constantly changing and we would probably be in big trouble it it did not.

It is cooling and will continue to cool. This will gradually reduce the number and periodicity of volcanoes and seismic events.

The magnetic pole moves 40 kilometres a year and it is generally agreed the poles will flip to new locations some time in the future as they have done a number of times in the earths past.

The continents will continue to move and the best example of this is the great rift valley in Africa which will see a huge chunk separate from the continent.

Short of disasters we still have millions of years but eventually the sun is going to run out of power and become a red dwarf. When that happens the gas cloud will expand and consume the earth.

Answer 3

WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - A strong earthquake rumbled in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and was felt across the southeastern United States, the U.S. Geological Service said.
The quake, with a magnitude of 6.0, came from about 6.2 miles (10km) below the Gulf surface, about 250 miles (405 km) south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida.
The tremor hit at 10:56 a.m. EDT (1456 GMT) and was felt in parts of Florida, Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. Media reports from Tampa, Florida, said residents reported feeling their buildings vibrate for up to 20 seconds.
USGS geophysicist Jessica Sigala said residents along the Gulf and as far north as northern Georgia reported feeling the ground shake but there were no reports of damage or casualties on land.
Sigala said there also had been no reported damage to oil rigs in the Gulf.
Exxon Mobil and BP Plc said no problems were reported on their Gulf oil platforms.
The USGS said there was no danger of a tsunami.
Quakes in the Gulf are infrequent and Sunday's was the largest of more than a dozen shocks that have been recorded in the area in the past 30 years.
Before the Sunday quake, the most recent in the area were a 5.2 tremor in February and a 4.4 in October 2003.
Sigala said the quake area is not located on a geological fault but rather in the middle of the North American plate. The quakes could be caused by the release of long-term stress under the plate, she said.

but this will be the end of the world...
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/endofworld.html

Answer 4

I'm sure we are in for some major earth changes in the next century. The earthquake the other day in the Gulf of Mexico was in a weird place (not on any fault lines). Plus if you buy into Nostradamus or Edgar Cachey (<-- not sure of the spelling) they both predicted earth changing events.

Answer 5

According to Edgar Cayce it's within the next 6 years...but can anyone really predict anything when it comes to the earth's changes? The earth changes all the time...it's constantly shifting, it is a living planet.

Answer 6

Plate tectonics is so slow, but over millions of years the effects are dramatic.It is estimated that the Atlantic ocean has widened by about 15 metres since Columbus first crossed it. That gives you an idea how slow the motion really is.

Answer 7

the continant move like 1/2inch a year
You'll be a very old man if you get to see the changes.

However there is ALWAYS the possibility that a disasterous change like a 10 earthquke or supervolcano could make major changes.
But those things we can not predict when....

Answer 8

The earth is, and has always been changing. Most of the changes are so slow we don't notice them.

Answer 9

Yes, but at the present rate, you personally have no worries. You'll be dust way before then.

Answer 10

In terms of the environment YES it`s changing................we are destroying it with chemicals..imagine wars,mining minerals....but for the shape i don`t know.