Comments on: The distribution of relief https://habitablezone.com/2012/03/20/the-distribution-of-relief/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/03/20/the-distribution-of-relief/#comment-12699 ER Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:50:52 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=11408#comment-12699 Yep. From Everest Summit to Challenger Deep is only about 13 miles, and Earth has a 4000 mi radius. If you had a to-scale globe 25' in diameter the difference between the highest and lowest spots on earth would be about half an inch. Gravity, erosion and plate tectonics keep the old globe pretty smooth. OTOH, the difference between equatorial and polar diameter is about 25 miles due to the equatorial bulge cause by its rotation. Yep. From Everest Summit to Challenger Deep is only about 13 miles, and Earth has a 4000 mi radius.

If you had a to-scale globe 25′ in diameter the difference between the highest and lowest spots on earth would be about half an inch. Gravity, erosion and plate tectonics keep the old globe pretty smooth.

OTOH, the difference between equatorial and polar diameter is about 25 miles due to the equatorial bulge cause by its rotation.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/03/20/the-distribution-of-relief/#comment-12697 TB Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:20:10 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=11408#comment-12697 I remember those "relief" globes they used to have in school, and when you looked at the labeling they would tell you the relief was exaggerated by some huge factor (I vaguely remember something like fifty to one). The Earth is actually pretty flat. I remember those “relief” globes they used to have in school, and when you looked at the labeling they would tell you the relief was exaggerated by some huge factor (I vaguely remember something like fifty to one). The Earth is actually pretty flat.

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