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jim m
Lv 5
jim m asked in EnvironmentGlobal Warming · 9 years ago

Would our planet Earth look like the moon if the atmosphere didn't exist?

Update:

jim z, What would happen to the ocean? Clearly some of it would remain because even the moon has H2O. What about temperature?

4 Answers

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  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I think so. I wonder sometimes, as I watch my parasitic, self serving, greedy species sucking the life out of this planet, if the dead planets around us are not failed attempts by the human race. Before I get jumped on, I make only the tiniest footprint here.

  • JimZ
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    The processes of plate tectonics would still exist without the atmosphere. Obvioisly without the atmosphere, the oceans couldn't exist. In your scenario, the oceanic crust would be fairly new and wouldnt' be riddled with meteorite craters. The continental crusts would probably be significantly riddled though volcanoes created by subducting plates might tend to bury the craters so no it wouldn't look like the moon. The moon is too small and has no liquid outer core to power plate tectonics.

    Without an atmosphere the oceans would evaporate but you stated there is no atmosphere so presumably that is gone into space. The sun would melt and evaporate any liquid water at the surface. The water on the moon is trapped in shaded areas in the soil. There would still be water in a similar way as the moon but not oceans in your scenario.

    The temperature would be very similar to the moon and it would be extremely hot and extremely cold.

    Cheyenne, the oldest oceanic crust is about the age of the dinosaurs which is still long after most of the meteorites hit the moon. Plates are not driven by water. They are driven by convection currents thougth to originate from the liquid outer core. They are driven by forces far in excess of any water currents. The oceans are really of no significant consequence except that some water is taken down in subduction zones and that subducted rock has the melting point lowered due to that water.

    Source(s): geologist
  • 9 years ago

    Without the atmosphere to keep the planet warm, things would get very cold. Oceans and lakes would freeze and plate tectonics would cease (plate movement on smaller planets like Earth requires massive amounts of liquid water). Or, without the atmosphere, the planet could be bombarded by cosmic radiation that kills everything on the planet. Without the atmosphere to burn up incoming meteors, the land would be riddled with craters relatively quickly. Of course the planet would no longer be green, though I don't know what color it would be.

  • 9 years ago

    yes it is very possible since there are theories that say that the moon was a part of the earth! so most probably earth would a bigger and a little different MOON. different in the sense: the color would be a bit darker i guess!

    :)

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