Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: Kieran Thompson on 17/06/2008 09:38:05

Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: Kieran Thompson on 17/06/2008 09:38:05
Kieran Thompson asked the Naked Scientists:

Hi Naked science crew.  

My name is Kieran Thompson. I am twelve and I live in Woodend Australia.  

May I firstly say that your show is the greatest (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/), I have all of the episodes on my ipod, along with Dr. Chris's other podcasts.  

I was wondering, if you drilled a hole to the centre of the earth and put a bomb in it would all of the volcanoes in the world erupt.  If so how violently.  

Thanks Kieran

What do you think?
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: Bass on 17/06/2008 17:08:22
To start with, you wouldn't be able to drill a hole to the center of the earth.

But just for fun, let's say you could.  The bomb still wouldn't cause volcanoes to erupt.  Many (but not all) geoscientists believe that hotspots (such as Hawaii, Iceland, Galapagos, Yellowstone) get their heat from convection currents in the mantle, and that these convection currents start at the core-mantle boundary.  In other words, heat from the core causes these volcanoes to erupt.  But, it takes tens to hundreds of million of years for the convection currents to carry heat from the base of the mantle to the crust.  So if you could explode a really big bomb at the center of the earth, it would still take millions and millions of years before it might cause volcanoes to erupt at the surface.
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: blakestyger on 18/06/2008 13:42:15
Surely, a bomb at the centre of the Earth would not be able to explode because of the pressure acting on it. [^]
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: neilep on 18/06/2008 14:27:24
In the film THE CORE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_core) they re-start the earths core spinning by exploding a bunch of bombs down there....so ..it must be true !!
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: Bass on 22/06/2008 01:28:46
Neil- You're RIGHT!!!  THE CORE is scientifically accurate in its entirety![:P]
What was I thinking???
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 04/07/2008 07:50:05
Quote from: Bass on 22/06/2008 01:28:46
Neil- You're RIGHT!!!  THE CORE is scientifically accurate in its entirety![:P]
What was I thinking???

Amateur!  [:P]
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: Alan McDougall on 06/07/2008 10:16:03
Heck,

Does the answer to the question not rely on the magnitude of the bomb. A huge enough bomb say a billion megaton TNT equivalent billion megaton nuclear bomb would split the Earth apart,
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: Evie on 19/09/2008 15:46:28
Quote from: Bass on 22/06/2008 01:28:46
Neil- You're RIGHT!!!  THE CORE is scientifically accurate in its entirety![:P]
What was I thinking???

I have never seen that movie simply because I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to see past all of the bad science I'm sure it uses.  [:-\]
Title: Would a bomb at the Earth's core cause volcanoes to erupt?
Post by: that mad man on 19/09/2008 16:45:44
Quote from: Evie on 19/09/2008 15:46:28
I have never seen that movie simply because I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to see past all of the bad science I'm sure it uses.  [:-\]

I thought just the same but found it to be a fun bit of sci-fi and a bit "tongue in cheek." Calling the material that can withstand the cores heat heat "Unobtanium" I thought was funny. It also points out that we still know little about the core of the earth and how it works.

Go see it as its a fun film, just don't take it as science fact.