3 ms·

Geology is a funny thing. Those fossils lived 100 million years ago, when Antarctica wasn't even located at the South pole. So, that's a pretty, um, cold comf

by klyrs 5y ago

Geology is a funny thing. Those fossils lived 100 million years ago, when Antarctica wasn't even located at the South pole. So, that's a pretty, um, cold comfort. Found a really neat site for that: https://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#105 https://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#105 Also, geological time scales are a bit of a curiosity. Humans are barely a blip. Folks sounding the alarm about climate change are speaking to humans. The Earth will keep turning, and even generalized life on Earth will probably be "fine" as long as we don't tip too far towards a Venus-level greenhouse. Humans might have a rougher go of it.

zsz 5y ago
That's a cool site! Now to find a continuous / animated -- maybe even 3D -- equivalent thereof. BTW Venus is outside the Sun's habitable zone (too close to the Sun for liquid water), e.g. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/uploads/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/f0/3c/f03c6971-122e-43f0-996c-6be04999d90f/oosun_habitable_zones460.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-312%2C220_subsampling-2.jpg https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/uploads/filer_public_thumbnail... From https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zone#:~:text=Our%20solar%20system's%20habitable%20zone&text=Mercury%20and%20Venus%20are%20not,the%20liquid%20water%20to%20evaporate.https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zone#:~:text=Our%20solar%20system's%20habitable%20zone&text=Mercury%20and%20Venus%20are%20not,the%20liquid%20water%20to%20evaporate https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zon.... : "Mercury and Venus are not in the habitable zone because they are too close to the Sun to harbor liquid water. However, evidence suggests that the Sun used to be much dimmer. Venus may have once had oceans, but its proximity to the brightening Sun caused the liquid water to evaporate. The escape of liquid water from Venus’s surface may have directly led to the planet’s current inhospitable, dense atmosphere." P.S. Hey, that link you provided already /is/ 3D. You can page through the different eras using the left/right arrow keys, but the maps are projected onto a 3D sphere that can be rotated using the mouse.

by klyrs 5y ago

zsz 5y ago

That's a cool site! Now to find a continuous / animated -- maybe even 3D -- equivalent thereof. BTW Venus is outside the Sun's habitable zone (too close to the Sun for liquid water), e.g. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/uploads/filer_public_thumbnails/filer_public/f0/3c/f03c6971-122e-43f0-996c-6be04999d90f/oosun_habitable_zones460.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-312%2C220_subsampling-2.jpg https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/uploads/filer_public_thumbnail... From https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zone#:~:text=Our%20solar%20system's%20habitable%20zone&text=Mercury%20and%20Venus%20are%20not,the%20liquid%20water%20to%20evaporate.https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zone#:~:text=Our%20solar%20system's%20habitable%20zone&text=Mercury%20and%20Venus%20are%20not,the%20liquid%20water%20to%20evaporate https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-habitable-zon.... : "Mercury and Venus are not in the habitable zone because they are too close to the Sun to harbor liquid water. However, evidence suggests that the Sun used to be much dimmer. Venus may have once had oceans, but its proximity to the brightening Sun caused the liquid water to evaporate. The escape of liquid water from Venus’s surface may have directly led to the planet’s current inhospitable, dense atmosphere." P.S. Hey, that link you provided already /is/ 3D. You can page through the different eras using the left/right arrow keys, but the maps are projected onto a 3D sphere that can be rotated using the mouse.