Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
What I don't get is why doesn't the water on the surface just drain away into the center of the earth. The water on the surface of the earth is really thin. It is only five miles at the deepeest point and that is nothing compared to how far it is to the center of the earth. If the earth where a basketbal the oceans would be a fine mist on the surface.
So why doesn't the water just drain through the cracks?
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It hits rock eventually. Not my field, but through the magic of Google we learn that there is a large flow of water through
the outer layer of the ocean floor, and thus there is an equilibrium set up - water moves down through the rock and at a certain depth, the heat from the earth's core drives it up again - or sideways, or whatever.
There are certain environmental challenges to mapping this flow - like it's friggin' cold down there and the pressure is enough to squeeze you into a lump the size of Karl Rove's heart.
Good question, though.
