# Ocean Drainage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2007, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057 "2007-06-14T22:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/21 "2007-06-14T23:27:30Z")
[QUOTE=CJOK] Why, is it related to my query? šŸ†’ [/QUOTE] Just lucky I guess conidering the technique you used to ask a basic question. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/22 "2007-06-14T23:28:21Z")
**CJOK** , the reason it took so long to initially answer your is that in order to give a factually accurate answer, we at the SDMB had to collectively run down to our local video shops and get a copy of the relevant documentary [The Core](http://imdb.com/title/tt0298814/), featuring Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Josh Keyes and Hillary Swank as Maj. Rebecca Childs. Anyone attempting to answer without having watched the movie first would be just guessing, which is not permitted in this forum. You may notice the tentative and provisional nature of **Colibri** ā€™s reply. His local Blockbuster had it already rented out. ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/23 "2007-06-14T23:32:52Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] Plus the rocks on the seabed are denser than water, and at large enough scales, deform plastically, somewhat like a liquid. Less dense fluids _float_ on top of denser fluids. Plus, temperatures within the earth surpass the boiling point of water within the first few kilometers. Even [under a continental land mass, temperatures approach 100Ā°C](http://geothermal.inel.gov/maps/inl_rdl_07-21-05_us_012.jpg) within the first few kilometers of crust. Gaseous water is _far_less dense than liquid water. [/QUOTE] How cold is the water at those depths? I do `t mean directly above these vents, I mean overall. Is there simply too much water for it to turn to steam? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/24 "2007-06-14T23:34:12Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] **CJOK** , the reason it took so long to initially answer your is that in order to give a factually accurate answer, we at the SDMB had to collectively run down to our local video shops and get a copy of the relevant documentary [The Core](http://imdb.com/title/tt0298814/), featuring Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Josh Keyes and Hillary Swank as Maj. Rebecca Childs. [/QUOTE] Thatā€™s fine for posers and wannabees but most of us longtimers have video and print reference libraries at our house which has proven to be cheaper in the long run. I just hit fast forward, cross-check everything with some journals and reply back as soon as I am comfortable with my refresher knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/25 "2007-06-14T23:37:19Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] **CJOK** , the reason it took so long to initially answer your is that in order to give a factually accurate answer, we at the SDMB had to collectively run down to our local video shops and get a copy of the relevant documentary [The Core](http://imdb.com/title/tt0298814/), featuring Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Josh Keyes and Hillary Swank as Maj. Rebecca Childs. Anyone attempting to answer without having watched the movie first would be just guessing, which is not permitted in this forum. You may notice the tentative and provisional nature of **Colibri** ā€™s reply. His local Blockbuster had it already rented out. [/QUOTE] Well done guys. Good improvisation! So thats why you were slower than you were with my previous posts. ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/26 "2007-06-14T23:40:50Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Just lucky I guess conidering the technique you used to ask a basic question. [/QUOTE] Is there some oblique meaning to this that I am missing? ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/27 "2007-06-14T23:43:51Z")
Just please donā€™t ask any questions about meteorites or NEAs (Near-Earth Asteroids). Netflix is reporting a _very long wait_ for Armageddon. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/28 "2007-06-14T23:46:20Z")
A Wiki of [the structure of the earths core](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_of_the_Earth). In simple terms, lighter materials float on heavier ones. Water is lighter than the core, or mantles or the crust. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/29 "2007-06-15T01:56:25Z")
[QUOTE=garygnu] I really hate to do this, butā€¦ cite? [/QUOTE] Well, how long do you think caves last? Millions of years? Caves donā€™t last millions of years. And what happens to the water when a cave fills up with sediment? The water has to go somewhere else. Of course, there are really deep aquifers all over the world, but those aquifers donā€™t go down to the center of the earth. On time scales of millions of years solid rock will bend like play dough. On geologic time scales light things end up on top of heavy things. Water is light. Rock is heavy. Put rocks and water into a box and the rocks sink to the bottom and the water floats over the rocks. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/30 "2007-06-15T02:06:34Z")
**CJOK**. Bumping your own thead five times in the first thirty minutes just isnā€™t allowed. > [@](#): > > If you start a thread, and after a while think you would like more comments on it, you may be tempted to ā€œbumpā€ the thread by adding a post to make the thread reappear back at the top of the forum list. We strongly discourage this practice, but since the boards are so busy sometimes a single ā€œbumpā€ will bring about good results. > > Our guidelines: > Wait until a suitable time has elapsed (at least, until your thread is no longer visible on the first page of the forum) > Bump your thread only once > Do not make a habit of always bumping each of your threads From our [FAQ - Guidelines and Etiquette on the SDMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697078#post7697078). Perhaps you should read all the sticky notes in ATMB, if you havenā€™t. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/31 "2007-06-15T10:28:31Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] **CJOK**. Bumping your own thead five times in the first thirty minutes just isnā€™t allowed. From our [FAQ - Guidelines and Etiquette on the SDMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697078#post7697078). Perhaps you should read all the sticky notes in ATMB, if you havenā€™t. **samclem** GQ moderator [/QUOTE] Please excuse me for my error, in my eagerness to get cracking, I had not given your guidelines an adequate viewing but I will do that now. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/32 "2007-06-15T10:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=CJOK] How cold is the water at those depths? I do `t mean directly above these vents, I mean overall. Is there simply too much water for it to turn to steam? šŸ˜• [/QUOTE] Itā€™s not just a matter of ā€œcoldā€. Water turns to vapor at 100C - _and 1 atm of pressure_ (which is more or less the pressure you have at the beach). At higher pressures, water needs a higher temperature to boil; 10m of water height add another atmosphere, so water at the bottom of a 10m deep pool is under 2atm of pressureā€¦ water 200m below the oceanā€™s surface, at 21atm. There is some boiling, but nothing, not even the smallest pot, boils instantly - much less the ocean. Put a pot of water to boil: there is a time, before it ā€œbreaks into a boilā€, when small bubbles form on the walls and bottom of the pot. Those bubbles arenā€™t air, theyā€™re water vapor (water that has boiled). Some of the water that touches the lava (or the bottom of the hot pot) does indeed turn into vapor, but as it bubbles up, colder liquid water moves downā€¦ the bubbles eventually cool down again by sharing heat with the surrounding cold water (and become liquid again). Unlike in your pot, in the lava rifts the amount of heat thatā€™s been transferred from the lava to the ocean is simply never enough to make it all boil. So yes, thereā€™s simply too much water for it all to turn into steam. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/33 "2007-06-15T12:26:21Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] ā€¦ [The Core](http://imdb.com/title/tt0298814/),ā€¦ Anyone attempting to answer without having watched the movie first would be just guessing, which is not permitted in this forum. You may notice the tentative and provisional nature of **Colibri** ā€™s reply. His local Blockbuster had it already rented out. [/QUOTE] My research material ( **Journey to the Centre Of the Earth** ) indicates that there should be at least enough space for a large amount of ocean to drain away. I realize that your material has a flashier presentation, but the _science_ in mine is just as validā€¦ šŸ˜ƒ Si ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/34 "2007-06-16T00:54:44Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] As far as I can recall, you are. The Earthā€™s core is neither hollow nor permeable to water. Most people I think are aware of this. [/QUOTE] Being aware that it is, and being aware why it is so, are two different things, do you not agree? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/35 "2007-06-16T01:01:46Z")
Hereā€™s a thought experiment: Take a beaker and fill it half way with a heavy liquid, like mercury. Then fill it the rest of the way with water. Will the water leak down into the mercury? No, because the mercury is a lot heavier. And since the mercury is liquid, there are no gaps for the water to leak into. ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/36 "2007-06-16T01:13:48Z")
[QUOTE=brazil84] Hereā€™s a thought experiment: Take a beaker and fill it half way with a heavy liquid, like mercury. Then fill it the rest of the way with water. Will the water leak down into the mercury? No, because the mercury is a lot heavier. And since the mercury is liquid, there are no gaps for the water to leak into. [/QUOTE] Thanks for that, but I am still wondering if this reply; Originally Posted by Colibri As far as I can recall, you are. ā€¦to my question;- Originally Posted by CJOK Surely I am not the 1st person to ask this question. You are usually much swifter than this! ā€¦was because no-one else had thought of it , or because as he seems to think, the answer is that obvious, no-one would ask it. As he is not here yet, what do you think? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/37 "2007-06-16T16:40:29Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] As far as I can recall, you are. The Earthā€™s core is neither hollow nor permeable to water. Most people I think are aware of this. [/QUOTE] So I said this:- ā€¦was that because no-one else had thought of it , or because as he seems to think, the answer is that obvious, no-one would ask it. As he is not here yet, what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![CJOK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@CJOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJOK)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057/38 "2007-06-16T16:43:48Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] As far as I can recall, you are. The Earthā€™s core is neither hollow nor permeable to water. Most people I think are aware of this. [/QUOTE] and this:- Being aware that it is, and being aware why it is so, are two different things, do you not agree? sorry about exceeding my ā€œbumpā€ allowance! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ocean-drainage/408057.md?page=1)