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WorldWeird: Giant Dripping Blob Found Under Nevada

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      CommentAuthorliamshiels
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2009
     (5962.1)
    Who woulda guessed the B-Movie 'the blob' was portentious. Theyfound a giant blob beneath the Nevada Desert

    (btw, anyone know what a lithospheric drip is?)
    • CommentAuthorlooneynerd
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2009
     (5962.2)
    "A lithospheric drip is a geological phenomenon in which a heavy rock formation sinks in a lighter rock formation, the latter having been made plastic by high temperature and pressure. A long trail is left behind the heavy material, like honey dripping off a spoon. A lithospheric drip has been discovered below the Great Basin in Nevada."

    -Wikipedia
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      CommentAuthorJeff Owens
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2009
     (5962.3)
    There is no reason to fear the drip will create earthquakes or cause the surrounding area to sink, researchers said.


    What a relief!
  4.  (5962.4)
    Almost tempted to see which came first, the wikipedia article or the news bit. Someone's been copying their homework.
    • CommentAuthorVermilious
    • CommentTimeMay 27th 2009
     (5962.5)
    Mr West's team thinks the "drip" started some 15 million to 20 million years ago but only detached from the overlying plate recently.


    Okay, so what does that mean it will do now?
    My memory of honey dripping off a spoon is that 1) the honey falls and 2) There's air where the honey was. If the surrounding area isn't sinking, does that mean it's only a "thin" plate on top of a gaping hole where the blob used to be?
    • CommentAuthorPooka
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2009
     (5962.6)
    interesting...my mind is trying to wrap around what that would look like and how vast it is...
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      CommentAuthorliamshiels
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2009
     (5962.7)
    @Pooka, I feel a remake/remodel idea forming.
    •  
      CommentAuthorEmmymau
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2009
     (5962.8)
    Hey, what the fuck? I'm IN the Great Basin in Nevada! No one said anything about breaking news under my feet!
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      CommentAuthorobliterati
    • CommentTimeMay 28th 2009
     (5962.9)
    I'm having a time out until I can learn some manners.
    I wonder what all the nuclear testing in Nevada did to that stuff after sitting there for millions of years. "Blob detaching" seems like an interesting unforseen consequence.

    And with the visual of all that, ehh, dripping, I now wait for the underground porn jokes. It's Nevada, you should be able to make porn jokes about the geology.
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      CommentAuthortonymoore
    • CommentTimeJun 10th 2009
     (5962.10)
    i love how this completely demonstrates our notions about the world being completely subjective. On a geological scale, our rock solid planet is just a swirling ball of goo.

    -T

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