What does the earth feel like?

[Cogman]

I've been thinking about this (for whatever reason, don't ask my how my mind works, I don't know). If you where to take the earth, and shink it down to the size of a cue ball. What would it feel like?

Better yet, do something like replace every 1000 atoms of whatever element is in the area with just one (or however many is necessary to make the earth the size of a cue ball) and hold it in your hand.

Would it be hot? Squishy/crumbly Or would it feel cold because of the shrink, and hard as a rock? Would there be a hard center (IE the iron core we are told we have)

If that doesn't work for you, imagine you are big enough to hold the earth in your hand.

Take this to whatever level you like

 

[Cattlegod]

I'd guess it would end up as a warm wet ball of mud when you grabbed on to it.

 

[Arcadio]

One thing is for sure: if the Earth was the size of a cue ball, it would be smoother than a cue ball.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
I'd guess it would end up as a warm wet ball of mud when you grabbed on to it.

ah, but the water doesn't really go beyond the upper crust (much) so the really isn't a lot of it, maybe a drop at the size of a cue ball.

 

[Adam8281]

Well, the oceans would be getting your hand all wet

 

[KIAman]

It would feel like a very very very delicate egg. It wouldn't even be able to support its own weight.

 

[lousydood]

Woohoo, Earth omelettes anyone?

 

[CycloWizard]

It depends on how you look at it. If you compress it to the size of a cue ball, then it would be very hard. The surface texture would depend on how you did the compression. It would be insanely dense and stiff.

If you grew yourself and held it in your hand, then the feel would depend on the length scale you're looking at. If you just poke it in certain places, the properties will be dependent on the location (soft and squishy in the desert, for example). If you tried to squeeze it, it would still be very hard. The texture would be very smooth, since the asperity length scale would be miniscule relative to the radius of the planet.

 

[Stiganator]

You'd get cranky when the tectonic plates shifted an liquid hot magma burned your hand.

 

[lousydood]

The Earth has over a 6000 km radius and the crust is only about lets say 60 km of that, to round off. Of that, humans have only really explored 10 km worth (being generous). Some of the ocean's floor is deeper than that, I suppose, but not much. Anyhow, I'm struggling to think that the surface which is only 1/600th of the radius thick would really be that noticeable, except visually. Most of the interior of the earth is hot and/or molten rock and iron, surrounding a solid iron core.

It's postulated that an impact on one side of the Earth can cause volcanoes on the other side. So if you squeeze it, then it'll bust out some pimples, basically?

 

[KIAman]

The average thickness of the crust on the continents are actually around 30 km and in the oceans, only 5 km! The crust is extremely weak comparatively and already is broken into sections of plates that "float" on the mantle.

Assuming the Earth does not keep its original weight (and thus retaining its own gravity), if it were shrunk to a size of a cue-ball, it would burst open like a fragile, rotten egg if you held it in your hand.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: KIAman
The average thickness of the crust on the continents are actually around 30 km and in the oceans, only 5 km! The crust is extremely weak comparatively and already is broken into sections of plates that "float" on the mantle.

Assuming the Earth does not keep its original weight (and thus retaining its own gravity), if it were shrunk to a size of a cue-ball, it would burst open like a fragile, rotten egg if you held it in your hand.

interesting, so all the molten stuff would just flow out and you would be left with the iron core, correct? Or would it cool off fast enough due to the smaller size.

 

[KIAman]

I don't know. Throw out some assumptions and we can postulate.

Assumptions so far?!?

1. Mass is reduced in proportion to the size and density (therefore does not keep the original gravitational strength)
2. Elements are exactly equal in proportion
3. Temperatures remain the same
4. You can hold it in your hands and it is affected now by an Earth-like gravity
5. All proportions are the same

 

[Foxery]

As mentioned, the crust that we live on isn't actually that thick. I picture it more like an egg whose yolk is harder. You could feel that it's slightly bumpy and uneven, but would crack it open pretty easily, get magma all over your hands, and then be left with the solid core while you washed off all of the screaming people in your sink.

It's been a while since geology... but I believe the core is much smaller than if you had just chosen to grab the Moon as a ball instead, and the moon is solid all the way through. (? I think)