Right you are, I'd forgotten about that bit. That said, Baldanders seems to mean that the heat generated by a stronger gravitational pull would heat Urth and melt the water. Baldanders isn't likely to lie, but again it's curious where that much water comes from.
<br><br>He doesn't mention tectonic shifts, and I admit to not being physicist enough to challenge the idea, but it seems like gravitationally-motivated shifts would be even more catastrophic than what is described. (Incidentally, a change in centripetal force in newtonian mechanics would drastically change the equilibrium orbits of the whole solar system)
<br><br>Furthermore, it's of possible interest that his scientific expertise has been supplied by the aliens, to a large extent.<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 7/23/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Bruce Hayles
</b> <<a href="mailto:brucehayles@gmail.com">brucehayles@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I'm not sure what the confusion is about. Baldanders says that the
<br>flood is caused by gravitational forces from the New Sun in Urth of<br>the New Sun XLII.<br><br>On 7/23/07, Paul B <<a href="mailto:pb.stuff@gmail.com">pb.stuff@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> That's fine, but it's about as difficult to explain sudden global tectonic
<br>> shifts than it is to explain a flood.<br>><br>><br>> On 7/23/07, <a href="mailto:brunians@brunians.org">brunians@brunians.org</a> <<a href="mailto:brunians@brunians.org">brunians@brunians.org</a>> wrote:
<br>> > > I recently read the archive discussion about the theodicean aspect of<br>> > > BotNS,<br>> > > and the morality and necessity of the flood that accompanies the new<br>> sun.<br>> > > One thing struck me, and if it's old hat, then I've not been thorough
<br>> > > enough<br>> > > in reading the archives. That thing is the precipitous pace of the<br>> flood,<br>> > > which apparently takes Urth in a matter of days and surprises those at<br>> the
<br>> > > House Absolute by the time that Severian shows up. A flood of Biblical<br>> > > proportions, if you will.<br>> > ><br>> > > Now, one thing that has been jokingly asked of that one, can be
<br>> seriously<br>> > > asked of this: where does the water come from?<br>> ><br>> > The continents are drowned, new continents rise where the oceans are, the<br>> > oceans move around. No new water required.
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