no moon

[brian j john]

what would life or conditions be like on earth if we did not have a moon

[Loosehead]

I don't know the full effects. Obviously virtually no tides, sea life would be effected. No moonlight etc etc. I guess the main effect would be that living things would have evolved differently. Obviously some climate differences as the tides must form part of the climate.

[MargeB]

Life would be impossible. The collision that gave rise to the earth's molten core, and the moon, gave rise to the earth's magnetic field. This field diverts particles coming at us from the sun (as seen in the northern lights), particles which would otherwise wipe us out.

[Trillipse]

somewhat darker at night.

[MargeB]

Moomin refugees on earth..imagine!

[Gef]

Probably not. The Earth had a molten core long before the event(s) which formed the moon.

[Trillipse]

fewer romantic lines,

fewer conspiracy theories,

one fewer REM songs,

phew.

[Peter Pedant]

It is meant to stabilise the Earths conditions so that one does not get the wildly varying climatic conditions that led to the loss of the atmospheres of Venus and mars.

I think

[bernardo]

Apart from anything else, I think that it was partly tidal forces which "shovelled" the land up into continents.  So without the moon, the Erath might have been smoother and therefore entirely covered by water, withgout the continents being big enough to stick up.  Otherwise, the tidal cycle would be much less and would have caused great difference to the evolution of shore-based animals and plants.

[jake-the-peg]

I don't think the moon was responsible for shovelling the continental masses up, I thought that was because they were lighter and therefore floated on top of the mainly bassaltic ocean shelfs - Mind you geology was never my strong suit.

Some of the current thinking around the initial creation and evolution of life does involve periodic tidal changes so it is quite likely that without a large close moon there would be no life here at all. 

[MargeB]

Gef, it's my understanding that the earth's molten iron core came about as a result of events leading to the creation of the moon. Best theory so far:

-Earth had not molten iron core

-Planet like object with molten iron core struck earth head on

-That planet broke into bits, leaving molten iron core 'in' earth

-Remaining bits of that other planet coalesced to form our moon (which has little iron as a result).

[BigDogsWang]

What would Ozzy Osbourne have barked at? Where would Jonathan King think we were all going?

The music industry would be in termoil.

[Gef]

MargeB, please accept my apologies. I now realise that I was wrong having looked at http://www.llnl.gov/str/Minarik.html

[MargeB]

Nice link, thanks Gef. Maybe we're both wrong. (Jake's gonna love that one).:-)

[Gef]

Thanks Marge. Amazing how much we don't still know for sure.

[bazwillrun]

during 4.6 billion years the land masses have been produced by volcanic activity spewing out matter . Tectonics recycles that matter. When various plates move, subduction takes place, a load of matter on one plate goes under another, it gets broken down in the bowels of the planet  and eventually after millions/billions of years comes back out again via volcanic activity (lava flows and explosive ejection) of one sort or another. The earth is and has always been in a state of dynamic flux. Its one giant recycling machine. the moon since its creation will have played its part in this recycling by virtue of its gravitational effect having an effect on the plates movements Assuming we dont blow the planet up ,and given enough time, the very ground you are standing on will at some point go through these process a good few times until our own sun starts to expand in its death throes and destroys the planet.

 

 

  

[slashnik]

I wouldn't keep turning into a wolf

[willow27]

well for a start i would have to emegrate cause it would be light all the time and then my kids would never sleep lol