The July 1 issue of Geophysical Research Letters carries a report looking into micro-wobbles to the earth as it rotates on its axis; read the news release for an interesting summary.
When reading the Earth’s Wobble piece, I wondered if drilling for oil into the centre of the earth worldwide would have an effect on the wobble?
Would the weight of the oil leaving the centre of the earth make any difference anywhere?
July 8, 2006 at 2:57 pm
(2) Matt Rosenberg says:
Hi Vi! Thanks for the question! There’s actually no oil at the center of the earth, just a solid core. Oil is near the surface and the withdrawl of oil really doesn’t affect the earth’s wobble or rotation. -Matt
Comments
When reading the Earth’s Wobble piece, I wondered if drilling for oil into the centre of the earth worldwide would have an effect on the wobble?
Would the weight of the oil leaving the centre of the earth make any difference anywhere?
Hi Vi! Thanks for the question! There’s actually no oil at the center of the earth, just a solid core. Oil is near the surface and the withdrawl of oil really doesn’t affect the earth’s wobble or rotation. -Matt