Moonquakes

[Agent 13]

Re: Moonquakes

 

If you want to have the Moon's orbit change to any perceptible degree you are going to have to give it a very powerful shove. Or else ignore the physics.

Perhaps from out of space could come a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction.

 

Wait, 1994 has already come and gone, hasn't it?

[lemming]

Re: Moonquakes

 

Perhaps from out of space could come a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction.

 

Wait, 1994 has already come and gone, hasn't it?

Demon Dogs!

[Nyrath]

Re: Moonquakes

 

Perhaps from out of space could come a runaway planet' date=' hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction.[/quote']

Lords of Light!

[austenandrews]

Re: Moonquakes

 

What's a lava dome?

Buildup of low-pressure lava into a rock dome that can collapse and release a really nasty pyroclastic flow. Wouldn't throw rocks at the Earth but would wipe out any settlements downhill. Of course settlers would have plenty of warning to evacuate. Domes can build for many years before breaking. For dramatic effect you'd want the shortest possible lifetime, which would be a couple of weeks.

[Agemegos]

Re: Moonquakes

 

So you think there's no chance of a crack in the lithosphere propagating significantly to the surface? Not even in a body as rigid as the moon?

 

No, I don't. Under mantle pressures rock is a viscous fluid. It will transmit shock waves, but not cracks.

[Guest lucky]

Re: Moonquakes

 

Buildup of low-pressure lava into a rock dome that can collapse and release a really nasty pyroclastic flow.

Ah, so ka--thanks.

 

Well, it seems like I've got this thing figured out: the ship vanishes and the surrounding rock collapses. The digging crew in the shaft are all killed, but the immediate geological after-effects are relatively minor. A lava dome does form over the former shaft and since that's within spitting distance of the lunar colony, an evacuation will have to be made within the next couple of weeks.

 

Does that sound about right?

[austenandrews]

Re: Moonquakes

 

That's more or less where we currently stand. Although the lava dome wouldn't form over the "shaft", but would propagate to the surface after the shockwaves crossed the lithosphere and hit some existing cracks in the crust. It's reasonable to assume, however, that the dig would follow such cracks as far as possible. They would be the path of least resistance both ways. If fact we may as well assume that the particulars of the dig itself will necessarily skew the results toward directing the magma along nearly the same route. Perhaps the dig is only possible because of an existing "pathway" in the crust and lithosphere, which makes an impossible undertaking merely astronomically difficult.

 

Of course if we start getting into the technological particulars of a manned dig to the core of the moon, we may go places your campaign world isn't ready for.

[Agemegos]

Re: Moonquakes

 

Of course if we start getting into the technological particulars of a manned dig to the core of the moon' date=' we may go places your campaign world isn't ready for.[/quote']

 

[Guest lucky]

Re: Moonquakes

 

Of course if we start getting into the technological particulars of a manned dig to the core of the moon' date=' we may go places your campaign world isn't ready for. [/quote']

A little implausible science never hurt anyone. Besides, this world already has metahumans, so I can just handwave the whole excavation by placing Digger-Girl and Matter-Mover Lad up there as part of the crew.