The following is an archived discussion of a featured article review. Please do not modify it. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page or at Wikipedia talk:Featured article review. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was kept by Nikkimaria via FACBot (talk) 8:47, 14 November 2020 (UTC) [1].

Earth[edit]

Notified: Femke Nijsse, Graham Beards, RJHall, WikiProject Astronomical objects, WikiProject Astronomy, WikiProject Environment, WikiProject Geography, WikiProject Geology, WikiProject Science, WikiProject Solar System
The talk page discussions initiated in August 2020 should have been linked here, both for compliance with FAR instructions, and for a list of issues. See here.SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:57, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Review section[edit]

I am nominating this featured article for review because the article is not well-written and not well-researched, as raised by Femke Nijsse and Graham Beards. RJHall nominated this article for FA status in April Fools' 2007 (17 years ago). --Soumya-8974 talk contribs subpages 17:57, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

"Not well-written and not well-researched" is rather nonspecific. Can you offer some specific criticisms that might help in this review? --Kent G. Budge (talk) 18:13, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Femke Nijsse pointed out the following issues:
  • Too much of the article is too difficult (not well-written). This article should be understandable to a 16-year old. Yes, I'm struggling as a physics graduate.
    • the very first paragraph is too difficult. Per WP:ONEDOWN, words like sidereal day should definitely be avoided.
    • Further examples of things that may be too difficult include sentences like: . At the equator of the magnetic field, the magnetic-field strength at the surface is 3.05×10−5 T, with a magnetic dipole moment of 7.79×1022 Am2 at epoch 2000, decreasing nearly 6% per century
    • No idea what mean solar time is meant to be.
  • Many of the key facts are outdated (not well-researched):
    • for instance, the article now states that the oldest material ever found in the solar system is 4.56 BYA, while a 2010 study found an older piece: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/8/100823-oldest-solar-system-two-million-years-older-science/. Dunno if that is the oldest one still.
    • Future section is full of research that has specific years and often based on one old primary source.
    • The final brightness of our Sun (5000 times as bright) is referenced to 1993 article. Still up-to-date?
    • Human population in 2050 is estimated using 2009 UN numbers
    • The amount of irrigated land is given for 1993
  • Quite some unsourced paragraphs (not well-researched)
  • I don't think individual weather events are due (summary style). The article now mentions a very controversial heat record, without giving context but it's likely an artefact of poor measuring. I think both temperature records should be deleted.
I had resolved some of them, but since I am underexperienced (a 16-year old dole), I have to leave it for someone else. --Soumya-8974 talk contribs subpages 18:20, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I am not convinced this was a good example of talk page discussion with identification of issues, but scanning the page, one easily finds indications of deterioration since RJHall retired, including being crammed full of sandwiched images, some uncited text, and some repetition in the lead. A tune-up might be in order. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 20:17, 15 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I am unfortunately relatively busy both on Wikipedia and finishing my thesis, but I will try to improve the under-sourced parts of the atmosphere and climate section over the next two weeks. There are a few sections that need either expert attention or quite a big time investment to update I think, for instance the future section, but possibly also the geological history and early life sections. Do we know any geologists that might be willing to help?
(@SandyGeorgia: what would be a better example of a talk page discussion?) Femke Nijsse (talk) 19:54, 16 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Because a number had been resolved, and Graham Beards questioned others, it might have been better to ping involved editors to talk, or ask for help from WikiProjects, and to give it more time ... but here we are, no problem. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 21:48, 16 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Soumya-8974: thank you very much for your help with this (although I have no idea what a "dole" is) - hope you are enjoying your return to education. I could fix this article but I would rather spend the considerable time needed on some more specialist articles which there is no chance of others updating. All I can suggest is that if anyone does fix it they ask an intelligent 16 year old such as Soumya-8974 to read through it once they have finished to make sure it is understandable.Chidgk1 (talk) 08:52, 20 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I have no idea what a "dole" is – "Dole" is a clipping of adolescent. --Soumya-8974 talk contribs subpages 09:08, 20 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
John M Wolfson
 Partly done: the wind paragraph is now fully cited to a HQRS. Femke Nijsse (talk) 08:15, 27 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Done Femke Nijsse (talk) 14:37, 16 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
We could use "Billion years ago (109 years or Ga)" at the first mention in the lede, and Ga thereafter, but I'll go with what the consensus is on this. Whichever we go with, there needs to be consistency - the lede and the "Origin of life and evolution" both use billion (although the latter switches to Ma in its second paragraph).Mikenorton (talk) 17:24, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Done: part of a rewrite of that paragraph. Mikenorton (talk) 12:04, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
This is a non-exhaustive run-through. Overall this is salvageable but needs attention. – John M Wolfson (talk • contribs) 06:31, 21 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Femke Nijsse
  • I'm happy to take a look at the tagged statements in the geological parts of the article. Mikenorton (talk) 14:16, 27 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Partly done:I've rewritten the paragraphs on continental growth and tweaked the bit on supercontinents - I hope that's clearer now. Mikenorton (talk) 12:04, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Partly done:I have attempted to clarify how the age of the Jack Hills zircons matches with the Acasta Gneiss being the oldest known continental crust. Mikenorton (talk) 17:24, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I've also reworded the bit about mass extinctions. Mikenorton (talk) 21:09, 29 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Update: in trying to address the issues raised by me and others, I'm constantly finding new issues and have come to the conclusion that concerted efforts are needed to save this article. There are now 13 citation needed tags, and I'm discovering more prose that is subpar ( and it is of the lithosphere that the tectonic plates are composed), I'm finding many dead links to sources, and it is not always clear whether all the sourcing is high quality, with a high reliance on self published websites by what seems to be academics (f.i. http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/models/constants.html). Femke Nijsse (talk) 12:15, 12 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

FARC section[edit]

Issues raised in the review section include sourcing and prose. Nikkimaria (talk) 19:28, 17 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Devonian Wombat has been great in getting high-quality citation into the article; only four citation needed tags left. The major lay-out issues have also been resolved. I'm confident we'll get this back to at least GA quality, and maybe FA (never have done a FA, so not sure how high we have to aim). Slow but steady progress. Femke Nijsse (talk) 19:25, 20 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Holding, per Femke. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 14:28, 22 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
There is one part of the article dealing with the historical notions of earth that were struggling with. I've asked help from the WikiProject history of science, but no response as of yet. Femke Nijsse (talk) 14:28, 28 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Hanif Al Husaini, I've replaced it by a fungus and noticed the article doesn't even talk about fungi. Will add a sentence talking more about how life interacts with Earth, recycling minerals and other stuff like carbon and nitrogen. Femke Nijsse (talk) 10:39, 1 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
From the lead: "Over 99% of all species that ever lived on Earth are extinct." But it is not mentioned in body. Hanif Al Husaini (talk) 16:17, 1 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Now mentioned in the body and cited.
Per Femke, a new review

Alert: I am less strict on older FAs that have already run on the mainpage. And it is important to save as many stars on broadly important articles as we can.

All  Done. Femke Nijsse (talk) 21:36, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Suggest that Jo-Jo Eumerus might have a quick glance, Bst, SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:17, 6 November 2020 (UTC) Also, @Graham Beards: for a re-check. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:19, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

John M Wolfson 2, Earthbound Boogaloo
I missed that before. I moved the notes to the talk page for if anyone wants to incorporate them. Femke Nijsse (talk) 13:49, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Done. Femke Nijsse (talk) 13:49, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Done Femke Nijsse (talk) 13:49, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
 Done Femke Nijsse (talk) 13:49, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Other than that, this is acceptable to retain the star, although do fix the issues Sandy and I were talking about. – John M Wolfson (talk • contribs) 19:14, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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