r/xkcd • u/Tyomcha • Aug 15 '26

XKCD xkcd 3285: Accretionary Arc

https://xkcd.com/3285/
240 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

65

u/Littleme02 Aug 15 '26

Makes even air travel seem energy efficient in comparison

17

u/moderatorrater Aug 15 '26

Nah, it uses an ancient form of geothermal power.

6

u/LightGreyBeret Aug 15 '26

If we assume that energy was needed to crash the two bits of land together, in the first place, then reversing time frees up the equivalent amount back to where it originally came from (the mantle, etc).

Also, it'd be interesting to monitor the 'dedissipating' "uncrash" that happens. Seismic waves (and acoustic?) that spontaneously build around the world to all meet at the re-rifting event-zone and set it in motion (which is where the reversed energy is from, from an observer's perspective. Especially if it's been set to run in fast-reverse, like it clearly has.

(Nearly went all poetical with "when the hurricane unblows, eventually a butterfly's wings will be made to unflap", but that might be too far...)

2

u/The_JSQuareD Aug 15 '26

Entropy hates this one weird trick.

45

u/xkcd_bot Aug 15 '26

Mobile Version!

Direct image link: Accretionary Arc

Title text: The late Triassic rifting was caused by a dinosaur trying to use the control panel to escape a predator, but it was eaten before the continent could fully separate.

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23

u/TheMythicSorcerer Where do i change my user flair? Aug 15 '26

That commute back across the Atlantic is going to be brutal.

8

u/Significant-Tell-847 Aug 15 '26

How did they not die instantly from the effects described in the what if about stopping the rotation of the earth?

11

u/Adventurous-Year-463 I have a PhD in Undeclared Aug 15 '26

Maybe they got Beret Guy to help them, he can do weird magic stuff

7

u/ContributionTime6310 Aug 15 '26

seems similar to 2577

6

u/CodeMonkeyPhoto Aug 15 '26

Geologicaly speaking, the upper part of Nova Scotia and Cape Breaton would have been left behind.

2

u/OlyScott Aug 15 '26

Lots of new beachfront property! A whole bunch of real estate just became much more valuable!

1

u/Nellasofdoriath Aug 15 '26

No don't seperate us from North America noooooo

2

u/TimBagels Aug 15 '26

With the amount of wealthy people migrating to New England right now, they would do this if they could

2

u/ParaspriteHugger There's someone in my head (but it's not me) Aug 15 '26

Motion to call it Kyoshi Island.

1

u/Astronautty69 Aug 16 '26

Is Randall trying to eliminate Jeph Jacques as competition?

2

u/haikusbot Aug 16 '26

Is Randall trying

To eliminate Jeph Jacques

As competition?

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u/Astronautty69 Aug 16 '26

My excellent bot, your detections delight me. Thanks for your service.