2006-10-27 08:49:27 · 12 answers · asked by leothescouser 1 in Environment
I seriously doubt it. But first you have to note that soil is made up of three major materials; sand, clay, and silt. And then you have rocks and vegetation mixed in with that. Even though there is constantly sand, clay, and silt being eroded away, it often creates new land when it reaches the ocean. Like the Mississippi delta. It is also often washed ashore in large storms, that is why beaches become larger or smaller. And then we also have land increase from volcanoes. Eroding away all of the continents would be far more difficult than it may seem. In order to completely immerse the Rocky Mountains in water, 3 mile high mountains would have to be eroded to sea level. There is a lot of land to cover with water, even if the sea level rises from 'global warming'.
2006-10-27 10:44:58 · answer #1 · answered by forestofblade 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. What I think you are referring to is actually a continental plate that is many miles thick. The continental plates can be thought of as floating like icebergs. Since they are composed of lighter silicious material they rise above the ocean. Thin oceanic plates generally do not. Becuase the plates are moving, they are actually getting bigger. When they collide with other plates, mountains form. When mountains form, they result in greater erosion and more "sand" formation. The sand eventually gets deposited in basins that form thick accumulation that may eventually turn back to stone. The rate of continental formation is greater than the erosion. The amount of "sand" that is eroded is very small compared to the miles thick continental plates.
2006-10-27 16:16:15 · answer #2 · answered by JimZ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no. because the earth that is eroded into sand is just dropped by the sea somewhere else, where it's eventually compacted, stuff grows on it...it becomes land again. also volcanoes create land.
but then at the rate we're going the polar ice caps will melt and cover alot of it anyway...
2006-10-27 15:55:25 · answer #3 · answered by sky_blue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - the constant tectonic plate movement ensures that the earth is kept in a constant variety of forms at any given moment. So sand is eventually re-manufactured into other types of earth form.
2006-10-27 17:41:26 · answer #4 · answered by PAUL H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - most likely, the seas will rise & flood the land, due to global warming. Tsunamis will become commonplace throughout the world & floods will be worse. Then in winter it will all freeze over, & a new Ice Age will begin.
2006-10-27 16:03:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Eventually millions of years
2006-10-28 08:11:14 · answer #6 · answered by paul c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but through millions of years the plates will shift and new continents will be formed.
2006-10-27 15:52:48 · answer #7 · answered by kam_1261 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sand is Land! [D'uh!]
2006-10-27 15:52:50 · answer #8 · answered by guernsey_donkey2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup.
2006-10-27 15:52:01 · answer #9 · answered by Alicat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no thats what volcanoes are for, they make new land.
2006-10-27 15:51:39 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋