Thursday, February 11, 2010

SIERRA RANGE GENESIS, BY TIDAL SHOVE WEST TOWARDS MIDWAY ISLAND, ALONG 40N TRANSFORM

EARTH SCIENCE postings from www.googleearth.com are reported in blogsites in: www.PorOgle.blogspot.com for other locations.




Sierras act as a vertically-rotating semi-cylinder, with CCW SPIN looking NW.
The Sierra Range is entirely located in California, and essentially parallels the CA-NV border, separated from the line by the Death Valley NP. It is also bounded on the SW by the Central Valley, on the SE by the Garlock fault (which traces almost eastward), and by the Cascades on the NW. Mount Lassen active volcano defines the 40N latitude above which there is subduction and below which there are no active volcanoes. The Garlock fault location shows that this results from the movement of the Sierra-Central Valley system moving westward. It is my conclusion that the system is being shoved by the tidal force of the Moon to the west relative to surrounding lowlands. Below is a diagram of the S-CV system as it appears from space:

The first observation is that the Coriolis cells exhibit sharp valleys and shear features on the east side, but not on the west.
This is normal for all cells analyzed in the USA, where uplift, vulcanism, and higher elevations occur.


THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE SIERRAS ARE SHOWN- WHERE THE ACTION OF MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, E-W FAULTING, AND GREAT EARTHQUAKES ARE EXHIBITED:
ONE DIFFICULTY THAT MUST BE OVERCOME IS THAT OF THE ORIENTATION OF THE SIERRAS, VERSUS THAT OF THE LARAMIDE, WHEN IT WAS INITIATED. THE LARAMIDE MOVED EASTERLY OR POSSIBLY ENE, WHILE THE SIERRAS DO NOT ORIENT PERPENDICULAR TO THAT. EITHER THE SIERRAS HAVE ROTATED (WHICH, I THINK, HAVE NOT MOVED SUFFICIENTLY) OR THE CHAIN HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY ANOTHER ENTITY. THERE ARE SOME FAINT TRANSFORMS IN THE OFFSHORE CA, WHICH INDICATE THAT THERE WAS AN ORIGINAL ENE MOVEMENT, AND THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM- THE COMPRESSION WOULD HAVE INITIATED THE CHAIN, AND IF IT REMAINED TO THIS DAY (EXCEPT FOR MINOR ROTATIONS) THE CHAIN AND THE COASTLINE WOULD HAVE THE ORIGINAL ORIENTATION.

Assuming that the Sierras have rotated CCW (as shown by the larger distance along-Garlock fault- L.A. coast compared to Mendocino movement on the south side of the fault), then the transform oriented ENE toward the Coloma River, CA will approximate a perpendicular indication to the Sierras. This would agree with the general movement of the Laramide to the ENE, creating the orientation of the Sierras in their present configuration (allowing for some CCW rotation since their inception.
ASSUMING THAT THE AMERICAN, LAST, AND COLOMA RIVERS YIELD TRACES, WHICH WERE CREATED PRE- AND POST-TERTIARY TIMES, THE ROTATION OF THE SIERRAS MAY BE SEEN AS apprx.10 DEGREES CCW. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT, BUT INDICATES THAT THE LARAMIDE ORIENTATION OF THE CHAIN IS CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL AT 65 M.Y. AND THAT THE ROTATION HAS PROCEEDED BY CORIOLIS ACTION ON THE WHOLE RANGE. WE NOW MUST DETERMINE WHETHER THE ACTION OCCURRED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ROCKY MT. SHOVE- BUT DISPLACED BY MORE THAN 1000 KM. THIS SEEMS UNLIKELY, BUT IT MAY BE THAT SIMULTANEOUS SHOVES TO THE EAST OCCURRED (THIS ELIMINATES THE NEVADAN AND SEVIER OROGENIES FROM CONSIDERATION AS BEING PREPARATORY TO THE LARAMIDE SHOVE TO THE EAST- AT A LATER TIME- SINCE THE KT STRIKE REPRESENTS A MAJOR DISCONTINUITY IN ETHE PROGRESSION). WHY AM I SELECTING THE AMERICAN RIVER AS THE YOUNGEST AND THEREFOR THE ONE INDICATING PRESENT REFERENCE? BECAUSE THE AMERICAN IS ORTHOGONAL TO THE PRESENT SIERRAS, AND THE COLOMA IS NOT, ADDITIONALLY, THE COLOMA TRACE IN THE PACIFIC BASIN IS THE FAINTEST.
Looking again at the Mendocino location, we see why the part south of the cape moves westward, while the part north moves eastward:
This blog is being prepared further. If you have input, send a comment in the section below:

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