abandonded earth

[dannyday5821]

im trying to think of realistic reasons why earth would have to be abandonded - but not destroyed. a reason why we would be forced to leave - knowing that those left behind would die, for certain...

only thing i can think of is the usual mysterious virus that started inexplicably wiping people out and no one could find a cure, so we had to leave. but thats kinda boring, and done a million times over in fims etc. i thought about nuclear warfare - but i want the earth left in tact, then to go to ruin.

so i suppose it has to be something that affects just us humans... cant think of anything else apart from a virus - even if it is realistic... there must be something else...

[jake-the-peg]

To force an "evacuation" viruses etc are no good - if you can get away from them you can isolate yourself on Earth - if you can't you take them with you.

So you are left with Earth based disasters:

Supervolcano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervolcano

Mantle plume hitting the surface http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervolcano as in the deccan traps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deccan_traps

or space based ones
- large asteroid collision

-dubious sun problem as in "Sunshine" http://en.wikipedia.o...hine_%282007_film%29.

Nearby supernova but you'd not be able to out-run that - perhaps you could hide from its effects in the Earth or moon's shadow for a few days or weeks before returning to a barran Earth - or not

[BertiWooster]

fall out from a nuclear war ?

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

After the BP thingy, an earthquake caused a natural rift causing a vast oil spill. Enough to kill the oceans, all helped along by a huge tidal wave that circles the earth a couple of times.

[squarebear]

People being forced to listen to the likes of Jedward and watch Jeremy Kyle would tempt me to abandon the Earth :-)

[jomifl]

fao mo-jo-jo
I think you mean a tsunami not a tidal wave. A tidal wave travels around the earth nearly twice a day and does little harm, commonly known as the tide.

[jomifl]

How about a convincing scam where humanity is convinced that the earth is going to overheat and everyone will die so they leave. But it doesn't.

[Michael52]

How about if a giant Asteroid much bigger than the earth goes passed the earth and we're sucked into it's gravitational field and pulled further away from the sun bringing a dawning iceage or if the same thing happened but Asteroid is going towards the sun and the earth starts heating up and our seas start evaporating as we head towards a fiery extinction.

Dannyday are you writing a book or making a film/animation?

[TTG]

We will have to leave Earth long before it's destroyed. The Sun will eventually expand causing the temperature to rise on Earth which will then be too hot to sustain life.

[lardhelmet]

Let's hope the sun expands a bit more next month then TTG, when I'm on holiday!

[jomifl]

By the time the sun has expanded enough to make life on earth impossible humans will have either evolved into something unrecognisable or be extinct.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

@jomifl
Yeah I probably did but I think most people understood. Tsunamis were known as tidal waves when I was a kid.
This site isn't all that friendly is it. :(