Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

'Electric Earth' Could Explain Planet's Rotation

Posted by Soulskill on from the thought-it-was-gas-powered dept.

sciencehabit writes "When it comes to Earth's rotation, you might think geophysicists have pretty much everything figured out. Not quite. In order to explain some variations in the way our planet spins, Earth's mantle — the layer of hot, softened rock that lies between the crust and core — must conduct electricity, an ability that the mantle as we know it shouldn't have. Now, a new study (academic paper) finds that iron monoxide, which makes up 9% of the mantle, actually does conduct electricity just like a metal, but only at temperatures and pressures found far beneath the surface."

9 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. arXiv link by fishicist · · Score: 5, Informative

    Full text available on the arXiv, for those without a subscription to PRL: http://arxiv.org/abs/1112.5068

  2. Magnetic field + conductor = Electricity? by atchijov · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is there any electricity flowing and if there is, how can we harvest it?

    1. Re:Magnetic field + conductor = Electricity? by NoobixCube · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Electricity is remarkably lazy, and doesn't do anything it isn't forced to do. It will always follow the path of least resistance, and will never flow from a point of lower voltage to higher (that would be like water flowing up hill). If there's electricity flowing, you have to ask what's causing it to flow. What's increasing the voltage between the two points? If you harvest the electricity without unerstanding why it's flowing in the first place, you won't know what the consequences may be.

      --
      Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
    2. Re:Magnetic field + conductor = Electricity? by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Tesla had that all figured out a little less than a century ago.

      Of course, his work was buried so Edison could make a buck with inferior technology.

    3. Re:Magnetic field + conductor = Electricity? by dak664 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Path of least resistance does not apply to electricity. It follows every field gradient and takes every path as fast as it can. The current through each path is limited by the reduction of the gradient caused by the charge already along the path, a.k.a. resistance.

  3. this is all fine and dandy by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Insightful

    as long as this story doesn't bring out the electric universe trolls

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  4. Iron Monoxide? by Doctor+Morbius · · Score: 5, Informative

    FeO is Ferrous Oxide not Iron Monoxide.

    --
    If I disagree with you it's because you are wrong.
    1. Re:Iron Monoxide? by tqk · · Score: 5, Funny

      FeO is Ferrous Oxide not Iron Monoxide.

      The topic at the moment is geology, not chemistry. Try to keep up.

      Bloody chemists. Grumble, mumble, ...

      --
      "Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit ..." -- Pink Floyd.
    2. Re:Iron Monoxide? by LtGordon · · Score: 5, Funny

      FeO? That stuff is ugly.