Difference between revisions of "3218: Subduction Retrieval"
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{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a SUBDUCTION LICENSE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}} | {{incomplete|This page was created recently by a SUBDUCTION LICENSE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}} | ||
| − | This comic is a {{w|public service announcement}} (PSA) telling the reader to stay out of the Pacific Ocean on the current day. The reason for this is explained to be that someone has lost their wedding ring in a {{w|subduction zone}}. | + | This comic is a {{w|public service announcement}} (PSA) telling the reader to stay out of the {{w|Pacific Ocean}} on the current day. The reason for this is explained to be that someone has lost their wedding ring in a {{w|subduction zone}}. This is a boundary where two {{w|tectonic plates}} in the Earth's crust collide, and one plate dives beneath the other into the {{w|Earth's mantle}}. The ring can be seen glimmering on the upper surface of the subducted oceanic plate, in the {{w|accretionary wedge}} below the continental plate. Given that the rate at which this occurs is of a few centimetres per year at most, and assuming that the characters shown are drawn to scale and are of average human stature, it can be estimated that the ring has been in the subduction zone for about 200 years. Possibly this time has been needed to localise it and then deploy the heavy engineering displayed. |
| − | As a result, the | + | As a result, the {{w|United States Geological Survey}} (USGS) is "pulling the plate back up" to retrieve the ring. This would be a ridiculous idea, since no man-made machine is capable of moving entire tectonic plates{{cn}}. Even if it were possible, it is unlikely that the USGS, a national organization, would invest the time and effort required for such an operation for the relatively trivial purpose of retrieving a wedding ring, particularly for people who are presumably long since dead. |
| − | The | + | The title text jokes that since the wedding ring lies on the lower (oceanic) plate, the oceanic crust and continental crust are "getting married". Of course, [[Beret Guy|most]] humans wouldn't be able to see the sight of the wedding ring, due to it being underground, & in the {{w|mantle}}, where no human could reach anyway, without melting in the intense heat. |
| − | + | ==Transcript== | |
| − | + | [A large crane machine, with one foot in the sea, & another on the neighboring plate, is using a winch to pull up a tectonic plate from the mantle, containing a wedding ring latched on to it. Two people (Cueball & Ponytail) stand on the pulled-up plate, presumably surveying the lift, & a third person (A second Cueball) stands on a neighboring (unaffected) plate, watching the scene. The second plate itself has various hills & crannies on it.] | |
| − | + | ||
| + | Crane:click click click. | ||
[Caption below panel:] | [Caption below panel:] | ||
Latest revision as of 11:06, 12 March 2026
| Subduction Retrieval |
 Title text: Aww, the oceanic crust and the continental crust are getting married! |
Explanation[edit]
|
This is one of 74 incomplete explanations: This page was created recently by a SUBDUCTION LICENSE. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
This comic is a public service announcement (PSA) telling the reader to stay out of the Pacific Ocean on the current day. The reason for this is explained to be that someone has lost their wedding ring in a subduction zone. This is a boundary where two tectonic plates in the Earth's crust collide, and one plate dives beneath the other into the Earth's mantle. The ring can be seen glimmering on the upper surface of the subducted oceanic plate, in the accretionary wedge below the continental plate. Given that the rate at which this occurs is of a few centimetres per year at most, and assuming that the characters shown are drawn to scale and are of average human stature, it can be estimated that the ring has been in the subduction zone for about 200 years. Possibly this time has been needed to localise it and then deploy the heavy engineering displayed.
As a result, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is "pulling the plate back up" to retrieve the ring. This would be a ridiculous idea, since no man-made machine is capable of moving entire tectonic plates[citation needed]. Even if it were possible, it is unlikely that the USGS, a national organization, would invest the time and effort required for such an operation for the relatively trivial purpose of retrieving a wedding ring, particularly for people who are presumably long since dead.
The title text jokes that since the wedding ring lies on the lower (oceanic) plate, the oceanic crust and continental crust are "getting married". Of course, most humans wouldn't be able to see the sight of the wedding ring, due to it being underground, & in the mantle, where no human could reach anyway, without melting in the intense heat.
Transcript[edit]
[A large crane machine, with one foot in the sea, & another on the neighboring plate, is using a winch to pull up a tectonic plate from the mantle, containing a wedding ring latched on to it. Two people (Cueball & Ponytail) stand on the pulled-up plate, presumably surveying the lift, & a third person (A second Cueball) stands on a neighboring (unaffected) plate, watching the scene. The second plate itself has various hills & crannies on it.]
Crane:click click click.
[Caption below panel:] PSA: Please stay out of the Pacific Ocean today. Someone lost their wedding ring in a subduction zone and USGS is pulling the plate back up to retrieve it.
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I win. 2603:7080:5240:fa00:f571:792f:a287:3b07 (talk) 03:21, 12 March 2026 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- I lost The Game. 2A04:4E41:320E:C27C:0:0:885F:A27C 04:47, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
- @&$! 47.146.30.92 05:33, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
- Nope - you are disqualified for not signing your post. 82.13.184.33 09:14, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
By some coincidence this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy03jw0pwx1o was on the BBC news website Wed 11th March (UK)- the evening before (9pm local time) this was added 2A00:23C7:B524:F801:4041:29F9:A548:6CDE 06:08, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
I added my first explanation on this website! Please feel free to correct/improve it. 2401:D002:8404:C900:E8CD:26D1:3D16:F675 06:33, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
A rough estimate of how fresh this news is would be 200 years: size of people allows to estimate ring has been carried down 12 m, and then I used 6 cm/year subduction rate. 152.77.153.162 08:04, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
- This underestimates the time span IMO. Considering the folds in the crust below the crane, work obviously has been going on for quite some time already. The actual time of the ring going underground must be at least one order of magnitude higher, i.e., *ages* ago. Wait a minute ... the guy who claims to have lost the ring, does he go by the name of Sauron, by any chance? 2.201.115.145 10:28, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
Chances are that the ring melted being down that far. Dogman15 (talk) 08:58, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
Given the vast forces at play here, standing on the section that's being drawn out seems... particularly inadvisable. 82.13.184.33 10:59, 12 March 2026 (UTC) Add comment
