# Could we actually Destroy The Earth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608 "2006-09-21T20:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/1 "2006-09-21T20:03:03Z")
Imagine, for a moment, that everyone in the world suddenly developed a suicidal impulse to **Destroy the Earth**. If we all worked together, could we actually pull it off? I’m not talking about just ruining civilization (we could pull that off fairly easily if we were really all into it), but actually significantly destroying the planet so that it could no longer sustain life? I’m not just talking about speeding up global warming and melting all the polar ice caps, because even then aquatic life would thrive. I mean to _ruin_ the place. Suppose we dug the deepest hole we could dig, and threw in as many nuclear explosives in it as we could possibly make. If we did so, could we blow off a significant chunk of the Earth and throw the rest of it out of orbit enough that it might crash into another planet and be destroyed, or something along those lines? Ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/2 "2006-09-21T20:12:19Z")
[This](http://qntm.org/destroy) site is looking into this. I’ve not had much luck, but maybe if I could get some _help_ from someone! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/3 "2006-09-21T20:15:33Z")
I do not believe that all the Nuclear Weapons together could alter the Earth’s orbit or break the Earth up. We could probably make the entire surface of the planet radioactive and thus wipe out all major large lifeforms. We do not have the ability currently to move enough mass to send the moon down onto the earth. If we set off Super Volcanoes with a huge Nuclear Winter, we might wipe out 99.9% of life, but Life would just come back and evolution would start the next cycle. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/4 "2006-09-21T20:26:12Z")
We couldn’t possibly blow it up, or even dent it really; we could do the nuclear winter thing. If we really wanted to smash up the Earth, we would have to crash something into it; maybe by cleverly manipulating an asteroid so that it borrows energy from, say Jupiter, then uses it to slow the moon down in its orbit; do this for maybe a hundred thousand years and we can get the moon to crash into the Earth; that would break it. ---
**Author:** ![StinkyBurrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@StinkyBurrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StinkyBurrito)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/5 "2006-09-21T21:03:43Z")
There is that other thread around here somewhere talking about the LHC creating mini black holes. There is apparently a 1 in a 10 to the minus 40 power chance that it would suck the whole Earth in. Maybe if they tried to make a bigger black hole. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/6 "2006-09-21T22:03:51Z")
Whatever method you attempt, it probably helps to speak in that choked-off Marvin Martian voice. [paraphrasing, lazily, from memory] “Errr… what’s up, Doc?” “I am about to _blow up the Earth_.” “Blow up the earth!!” [Bugs turns and begins to walk away from Marvin Martian.] “Ha-ha, that’s really funny, Doc! You really got me going there… blow up the earth!” [Stops, looks at the viewer, reconsiders, turns back to M.M.] “Hey, whaddaya mean, you want to blow up the Earth? Whaddaya wanna do something like dat for?!”… ---
**Author:** ![Goodling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@Goodling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goodling)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/7 "2006-09-21T22:20:40Z")
What about altering the path of a large asteroid so as to collide with earth in the most devastating way possible? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/8 "2006-09-21T22:20:43Z")
Actually, it is theoretically possible, and we may have the technology for it (never having attempted it, it’s hard to know what practical issues might arise). I am NOT, however, going to tell you how. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/9 "2006-09-21T22:42:03Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] If we set off Super Volcanoes with a huge Nuclear Winter, we might wipe out 99.9% of life, but Life would just come back and evolution would start the next cycle. [/QUOTE] Yes. We could probably not get rid of bacteria short of destroying the Earth itself. Some bacteria live within rock layers very deep underground. No matter what we do to the surface, it wouldn’t have much effect on them. Once conditions on the surface improved, they would be able to recolonize the planet again. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/10 "2006-09-21T22:48:57Z")
[QUOTE=Goodling] What about altering the path of a large asteroid so as to collide with earth in the most devastating way possible? [/QUOTE] Can you suggest how we can do this feat with our current technology? _You know with a large enough Lever and a strong enough Fulcrum, I could move the Earth._ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/11 "2006-09-21T22:52:43Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] Yes. We could probably not get rid of bacteria short of destroying the Earth itself. Some bacteria live within rock layers very deep underground. No matter what we do to the surface, it wouldn’t have much effect on them. Once conditions on the surface improved, they would be able to recolonize the planet again. [/QUOTE] I think there is even some proof of microscopic life surviving travel from Mars to Earth on ancient Asteroid strikes. Does that ring a bell? I think I read it about 10 years ago. If true, then even breaking up the planet might not wipe out all bacteria. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/12 "2006-09-21T23:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I think there is even some proof of microscopic life surviving travel from Mars to Earth on ancient Asteroid strikes. Does that ring a bell? [/QUOTE] [ALH84001](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALH84001)? Consensus on that has moved towards earthly contamination, or a nonbiological origin. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/13 "2006-09-21T23:02:57Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [ALH84001](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALH84001)? Consensus on that has moved towards earthly contamination, or a nonbiological origin. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that is the one. [This picture is too familar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ALH84001_structures.jpg). So that clears that up. No proof that I know of. Thank you **Squink** , Jim ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/14 "2006-09-21T23:07:16Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] I think there is even some proof of microscopic life surviving travel from Mars to Earth on ancient Asteroid strikes. Does that ring a bell? I think I read it about 10 years ago. If true, then even breaking up the planet might not wipe out all bacteria. Jim [/QUOTE] A claim was made that a meteorite whose origin was Mars showed evidence of _fossils_ of bacteria-level life. The evidence has been strongly disputed, and at present is not generally accepted by the scientific community. And it was never alleged that the life-forms had survived travel through space to the Earth. This said, it is possible that subterranean bacteria might be able to survive the breakup of the Earth (depending on the mechanism), and if the chunk were large enough to shield the interior from radiation spores could survive for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/15 "2006-09-21T23:08:41Z")
I hope not; that’s where I keep all my stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/16 "2006-09-21T23:21:40Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] if the chunk were large enough to shield the interior from radiation spores could survive for a long time. [/QUOTE] There are some outrageous claims for the survival times of spores: [Alive…after 250 million years](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/978774.stm) > [@](#): > > Ancient bacteria trapped in a state of suspended animation for 250 million years are the world’s oldest living things, claim US scientists. > > The microbes are ten times older than any previously discovered living organism and may reopen the debate about the origins of life on Earth. > > The bacteria were found in salt crystals buried almost 609 metres (2,000 feet) below ground at a cavern in south-east New Mexico, US. That was in 2000. I don’t know how well the claim’s held up since then. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/17 "2006-09-21T23:47:51Z")
How about placing all those nukes along major fault lines and detonating them simultaneously? Perhaps after a live global broadcast of “Hey Y’all, Watch this!”? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/18 "2006-09-22T01:17:06Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] We couldn’t possibly blow it up, or even dent it really; we could do the nuclear winter thing. [/QUOTE] The nuclear winter effects stated in the [TTAPS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter#TTAPS_.281983.29) report is certainly overstated in both effect and duration. Given the current reduced size of nuclear arsenals by the superpowers (compared to 1983) we can only assume that the capability to deliberately generate a nuclear winter condition would be less. And while such a hypothetical condition would have an extreme impact on large fauna and flora its effect on microfauna would be substantially less. Heck, even some complex multicellular animals–brine shrimp, for instance–could easily snooze through such an event and hatch after conditions return to livable. Earth has certainly gone through worse, on a regular basis (well, every few tens of millions of years), with complex life continuing to expand and evolve. [QUOTE=StinkyBurrito] There is that other thread around here somewhere talking about the LHC creating mini black holes. There is apparently a 1 in a 10 to the minus 40 power chance that it would suck the whole Earth in. Maybe if they tried to make a bigger black hole. [/QUOTE] Such a small black hole would evaporate rapidly (if Hawking’s assertions are correct). Even if it didn’t, such a small singularity would accumulate mass very slowly; and eletron here, a stray ion there. Even though it nominally compounds, it would be a long time before it would be a threat. [QUOTE=Goodling] What about altering the path of a large asteroid so as to collide with earth in the most devastating way possible? [/QUOTE] Not possible with current technology. It’s about all we can do to put two guys on the surface of the Moon. And you’d need something the size of Ceres or a mid-sized Jovian moon at least to do world-destroying damage; moving such a body around in anything like a reasonable timeframe is so far beyond current technology not to be worth considering. [QUOTE=Oakminster] How about placing all those nukes along major fault lines and detonating them simultaneously? Perhaps after a live global broadcast of “Hey Y’all, Watch this!”? [/QUOTE] The amount of energy released in a middling earthquake is more than the largest nuclear bomb by a couple of magnitudes, and while they may do billions in property damage and kill hundreds of people, they don’t exactly threaten life as we know it. Want to destroy all life on Earth? What you do is create some organisms that bind up hydrocarbons in the reducting atmosphere and release a highly toxic and reactive waste oxidizer, like oxygen. Next thing you know, rust, fire, and free radicals are all over the place, and then these slimy oh-two breathers start crawling out of the water. It’s a dire environmental problem, and we must do something before the sky turns blue… Stranger ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/19 "2006-09-22T01:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] …snip… Want to destroy all life on Earth? What you do is create some organisms that bind up hydrocarbons in the reducting atmosphere and release a highly toxic and reactive waste oxidizer, like oxygen. Next thing you know, rust, fire, and free radicals are all over the place, and then these slimy oh-two breathers start crawling out of the water. It’s a dire environmental problem, and we must do something before the sky turns blue… Stranger [/QUOTE] My God, what an environmental disaster you described. How can we stop this plague you describe? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608/20 "2006-09-22T02:16:29Z")
As others have said, If we break up the earth, even into comparatively small chunks, the bacteria will survive & evolution begins anew. There’s just one sure way to Destroy the Earth And All Life As We Know It: crash Earth into the Sun. All we need to do is slow our orbital velocity a few percent and wait. And wait. And wait. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-actually-destroy-the-earth/373608.md?page=2)