Earth Without Oceans: Why It Would No Longer Be a Sphere

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Removing Earth's oceans would alter its appearance from a sphere to a more irregular shape, as the water contributes to its spherical look. The oceans, averaging only 2 miles deep compared to the Earth's 7,800-mile diameter, are insignificant in terms of overall volume. Earth's actual shape is an oblate spheroid, slightly thicker at the equator due to its rotation. Even the deepest ocean trench would be negligible in comparison to the planet's size, akin to a tiny dent on a cue ball. Thus, without oceans, Earth's surface would reveal its true, less spherical form.
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if we remove all of Earth's seas and oceans it would no longer be a sphere,since the water all over covers it ,it appears a sphere,right?
 
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monty37 said:
if we remove all of Earth's seas and oceans it would no longer be a sphere,since the water all over covers it ,it appears a sphere,right?

The oceans are a mere 2 miles deep on average. On a sphere 7800 miles in diameter, that's chump change. The highest mountains and deepest oceans are proportionately no thicker than the skin is on an apple.


Note though, that Earth is not a perfect sphere. It is an oblate spheroid, thicker around its equator than around its poles by about 60km, due to its rotation.
 
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well ,then even the world's deepest trench would appear too tiny on earth(without ocean) as a whole huge surface
 
monty37 said:
well ,then even the world's deepest trench would appear too tiny on earth(without ocean) as a whole huge surface
Yep. At 6 miles, it is a mere 1300th of the Earth's diameter. On an apple, that would be a dent less than a tenth of a millimeter.

Forget the apple, we're talkin' cueball.
 
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