That is very interesting and not something I'd thought of before. If the
Earth's rotation affects the atmosphere why shouldn't it affect the
behaviour of the mantle as well? In advance of any hard data one way or the
other, it seems a reasonable hypothesis that there should be some influence.
Roger Musson
-----Original Message-----
From: John Milsom [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 01 June 2001 21:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Plate tectonics
There IS an asymmetry. East facing subduction zones (western Pacific,
Caribbean, Scotia) seem to have a tendency to migrate outwards
('roll-back'). West facing zones (Pacific coasts of the Americas) seem to
be locked to their continental margins. First working hypothesis would be
that the asymmetry in the Earth's rotation (it goes one way, not the other)
has something to do with it.
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