• Question: how will climatechange affect the geolgy of our planet?

    Asked by beth5000 to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 24 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 24 Jun 2013:

      It won’t, really. There might be more carbon dioxide in the ice, etc, and it might even change the flow of the oceans. But the rocks will stay the same, as far as I can tell. Climate change is more of a problem for humans and animals – the planet will keep orbiting the Sun, same as it ever has.

    • Photo: Matthew Pankhurst

      Matthew Pankhurst answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Actually it could affect it heaps! For instance, there is a rock called limestone which dissolves in acid. If the oceans become a little more acidic, whic is predicted by climate change, a lot of these rocks will dissolve and make the oceans heaps saltier, effecting rainfall patterns, which is what erodes mountains and carves river valleys. It will also make it very hard for sea creatures to grow shells because the shells are more-or-less limestone. Also, there is some concern that the smaller ice caps will let pressure off parts of the earth, causing earthquakes and volcanoes (Iceland is a good example of this). Rising sea levels will change the pressue of parts of the oceans, which has an effect on how the rocks of the sea floor move. There are plenty of examples back through time (millions and even billins of years) where the rocks have changed all over the world, suddenly, and at the same time – and the reason is that the atmosphere and oceans have changed. It is all interconnected and linked, so yes it will change quite a lot. The thing is – it doesn’t care about us – so it’s not going to stop changing because we want it to! We have to be careful….!

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