Manhattan To Drown – In 10,000 Years

Manhattan has been steadily sinking since the end of the last ice age. During the ice age, the weight of glaciers in Canada depressed the mantle, forcing the mantle to bulge around the edges of the ice sheet. (Think of poking your finger into the side of a water balloon.) When the glaciers melted, the mantle stress relaxed , and the northeastern US began to sink. (Think of removing your finger from the water balloon.) Tide gauges show a steady 4mm/year of sinking around Manhattan and New Jersey, over the last 150 years.

Central Park is 40 metres above sea level, and will be underwater in 10,000 years – unless we have another ice age, in which case it may be buried in ice. Whatever happens, it has nothing to do with CO2 or fossil fuel – and there is nothing we can do about it.

Q. What kind of morons would worry about things 10,000 years in the future? A. The New York Times

About Tony Heller

Just having fun
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7 Responses to Manhattan To Drown – In 10,000 Years

  1. tckev says:

    Answer 2: Mayor Bloomberg

    • leftinbrooklyn says:

      Yes. He’s devised the brilliant plan to limit Manhattanites intake of sugar, causing them to be skinnier, and slow the sinking.

      I think he should focus on his day job. I’ve got my own doctor.

  2. swampsniper says:

    Good Grief, do we have to wait that long?

  3. gator69 says:

    A highrise Venice, with fleets of yellow gondolas, and a deep water port.

  4. leftinbrooklyn says:

    Yeah, I’m betting that glaciers push Manhattan off into the sea long before it sinks below it.

  5. Ivan says:

    Q. What kind of morons would worry about things 1,000 years in the future?

    More than what you might think:
    “- 40 million people in the U.S. will experience an impairment because of an anxiety condition this year.
    – 65% of North Americans take prescription medications daily, 43% take mood altering prescriptions regularly.”
    http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-statistics-information.shtml
    It’s not just the fruit-cakes at the NYT. All they are doing is satisfying a need.

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