Scotland Rocks - A Tartan Tour of Planet Earth with Prof Iain Stewart

Many of the fundamental ideas which underpin our current understanding of how planet earth works come from the work of Scottish scientists. As part of Talk Science @ Irvine Bay Prof Stewart explored and celebrated this tartan contribution.

[@nimblefingers2324]

One of my favourite lecturers. Approachable, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. His classes were great

[@anthonymichaelwilson8401]

This the gentleman we need leading this world full of curiosity opening your mind to this wonderful world 🌍

[@mariashelly6392]

This guy rocks!!!!!

[@georgegilmour5575]

Great lecture...Living in Donegal... I can see the rock formations discussed. I will now look at mountains and coastline with different eyes.

[@dafarley1956]

Brilliant, really enjoyed, thanks for posting

[@gregorclark9925]

Iian Stewart is actually my second cousin, my mum’s cousin funny to see him on KZbin still after all these years

[@marksadventures3889]

I watched the series this lecture is based around and very informative it was too; I have found that in latter years - well mid life really - I have time to take this in, many years having been spent doing family things. It always puzzles me however, the way Pangea is explained. On the map showed the super continent didn't seem to take up much space and granted that more landmass was to be produced it still seemed a bit well, as a Scot I'd say, wee. Peter Johnson's question seems apt too, although i'd think the sheer pressure and heat would eradicate anything that came into contact with it that wasn't a basic element - perhaps plastics?

[@zack_120]

48:40- that steep rise in CO2 from 1750 to 2000 wasn't really much, only

[@robertjsmith]

Everything is changing

[@atticusfinch8652]

I despair of the world. That the Royal Society of Edinburgh, perhaps no more august and influential forum on science in all of history, has less than a thousand followers, yet Kim Kardashian, accretes 1.3m. This is what the minds of the Enlightenment faced, however. It’s a tragedy of educational and political failure that we appear to need to do it all again...

[@allencolvin656]

For me, sometimes it is a geology documentary and sometimes it is Kim Kardashian's ass...

[@annjuurinen6553]

Don't despair, there is much work to do. Apparently 55% of Canadians carry some Scottish blood. So I have great hope for the future. Great things are often accomplished by small groups of people or very forward looking people. We are all needed for the future beckons.

[@nickynockyknackynoo2346]

Very interesting. Now I am retired I have time to ask questions which are to do with my interests and not work! I have a question.... I was thinking about the continual formation of continents cycle. After looking at the picture of the Earth, core, mantle etc, and the diagram of the way new land masses are created as the old ones are subducted down, I wanted to know if the subducted rock, lava, etc is ALWAYS completely melted and changed - or whether it could 'survive' as a record of what was on the surface, containing items such as intact pieces of some rocks e.g. granite etc. The reason for asking this question is that I wondered whether, in millions of years time, these might come to the surface and be recognised as items from our civilisation - or at the very least our present continental layouts. Pete

[@tanyamatveeva7742]

isotopes of some elements that come up in modern volcanoes are believed to be of organic origin, thus there is assumption that then went from surface, through subduction and are now expelled in volcanoes. But just elements, not fossils

[@nickynockyknackynoo2346]

Tanya Matveeva Thank you

[@paddyfinnegan134]

There is evidence from GPR and other techniques that cooler material from subducted plates is identifiable to about 80 Km down below subduction zones. Maybe more. But while it is colder than the surrounding mantle, it will sink and heat up sufficiently to destroy anything recognisable

[@nickynockyknackynoo2346]

Thank you @@paddyfinnegan134

[@bremnersghost948]

2 questions, first, how big must the fissure or volcano have been to create a landmass as big as Pangea and how long did that take? second, how far would we need to expand the Richter scale to imagine the power of the quakes that could have folded the ancient rocks over the newer rocks?

[@tanyamatveeva7742]

the folding of the older rocks over the younger ones is a process happening at great depth, where temperature and pressure make them soft like plasticine

[@bremnersghost948]

@@tanyamatveeva7742 How deep? Can't be more than a few Miles or it would be all Magma instead of Layers. Does it depend on the Silica content? Flows rather than explodes etc?

[@tanyamatveeva7742]

@@bremnersghost948 the Earth is not actually molten inside, it is solid with only small percentage of molten material that makes it pliable

[@nodigBKMiche]

Great lecture! So what was on the other side of the Earth, when we were one Continent? & where is it now? What about the emissions from Volcano eruptions which also seem to be cyclical, & a Huge contributor to CO2 lvls. Aren't they what have caused the cycles in the past, without our human CO2 contributions? Solar flares, or lack of them, have not been mentioned. Lack of them seems to indicate a cold cycle, which is where we are currently. I love his passion, very easy to watch the whole thing. 💛

[@tanyamatveeva7742]

of course nature forces are by far exceeding anything humanity has done so far in terms of CO2 emissions. Check out amazing Dekkan trap basalts in India

[@getsome7109]

He's pretty sure of himself, funny how theory becomes fact- WONDER WHO HE iS LECTURING TOO , I'm not buying it

[@paddyfinnegan134]

Most of this is accepted as fact now - there being better evidence for no theory apart from this one. Of course, proving it is not possible by direct probing into the mantle, but continental drift has moved from a controvercial theory when it was proposed back in the 1800s to accepted fact, as exploration after investigation has confirmed the idea. Satellites are now capable of tracking the movements of the continents across the globe to some considerable accuracy. they move at about the same speed as fingernails grow. Nothing dramatic, but give it millions of years, and they can move a lot. I'm not sure how you could "not buy it", especially if you look dispassionately at the evidence.

[@javwildman]

@ get some Theory only becomes fact when someone presents their scientific paper to be judged by their piers in the academic community. Only after this does it become a scientific fact. You "Not buying it" is irrelevant, just another throw away bullshit comment to make you think your smarter than Professor Iain Stewart.

[@WhirledPublishing]

@get some: You are 100% correct - this lunatic is out of his mind.

[@tomthx5804]

So he is just a nationalist.