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Chaos TheoryHow long is the coastline of the United States?
Depends on the length of the ruler used…
Chaos TheoryWeather models…..Only as good as the number of variables inputted….
Butterfly Effect:In a remote part of the Amazon jungle, a butterfly alights upon a tree limb. The butterfly rests there for a moment, and then flutters its wings. A week later, the weather in New York is affected. No instruments presently known could measure the perturbation, but it happens. It is called “the Butterfly Effect.” This strange effect promotes the idea that in a chaotic system, a very small change to that system applied at a certain point in time makes the future change in a very dramatic way. Something as small as a butterfly flapping its wings now might affect the weather system on a global scale six months in the future.
Earth systems are all interrelated, and small variables can causesignificant changes.
CatastrophismAll the Earth’s great landforms are theresult of great catastrophes.
Grand Canyon
Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Arthur’s Seat
James Hutton
Hutton’s Section
Uniformitarianism
The present is the key to the past
Present day processes
Time
Jan 1 Dec 31
Origin of the Earth: January 1
Oldest known rocks: Early March
Living things appear in oceans: May
Land plants and organisms: Late November
Dinosaurs: Dominant from mid-December to the 26th
On the 31st:Humans appear: 11:49pmEnd of last ice age: 11:58:17pmFall of Roman Empire: 11:59:49pmColumbus: 11:59:57pmWorld War I: 11:59:59.4pmY2K: 11:59:59.9993pm
Every real year equates to 1/7000 of a second
Earth’s Interior
Inner core: Solid ironOuter core: Molten metallic Ni and Fe
Mantle: 82% of Earth’svolume. Fe and Mg-rich rock.
Mesosphere: Strong and rigid
Tectonic PlatesCrust + Rigid upper mantle (lithosphere)