Thursday, April 22, 2010

CORIOLIS TECTONICS- A REVIEW

EARTH SCIENCE postings from www.googleearth.com are reported in blogsites in: www.PorOgle.blogspot.com for other locations.
CURVACEOUS CORIOLIS CELLS
By Helical Hal

After documenting this concept for two years, I will now make this more concise in terms of simple description. This is not mathematical, since all the academics with their derivations have not been able to see this presented in the EARTH’S CRUST. They have it for the atmosphere, and THEN later for the circulation of ocean waters, but the GEOLOGY CULTURE does not have this in their nomenclature.
Above is shown a Coriolis Cell found in the Aleutian Chain, part of Alaska:

This rotating cell is being dragged by the SW-ward moving island chain, which is itself a portion of a larger Coriolis rotation. GPS measurements have affirmed that the velocity vector points to the SW along this ALEUTIAN chain, as shown in the following EARTH DIAGRAM:



Meteorology has shown that Coriolis cells are responsible for a good portion of the earth’s weather. Low pressure (stormy, AND RISING AIR) rotating cells in the atmosphere circulate CCW in the northern hemisphere, while High pressure cells of good weather (with descending air- which is compressed, and therefore warm) rotate CW. In the southern hemisphere, cells move in a opposite direction and that is because the gradient of THE EARTH'S CRUSTAL velocity decreases as southern latitude becomes larger. The velocity of the EQUATOR, referenced to the poles, is 900 nautical miles each hour (15 degrees of the earth’s 360 degree circular configuration) and this is equivalent to about 1000 statute miles of 5280 feet each. The equivalent 1 minute of arc of longitude is the same as 4 minutes of time- that is, one nautical mile is traversed referenced to the sun in 4 minutes by the earth’s spin. You remember that a TIME ZONE is 15 degrees in width, and that there are 24 of them in the circle of the earth, for each day (24x 15= 360, and 60 nautical miles/ degree longitude x 360= 21,600 nm, which is the approximate circumference of the earth).
The Aleutian Spiral is easy to see (there are few obstructions in the ocean, and the crust is thin for easy movement) and it is represented in the atmosphere occasionally by an equivalent rotation in the clouds:

The reason why the atmosphere is performing similarly to features in the oceans is that obstructions or bulges in the earth's diameter influence both movements. The main difference for the two exhibits is due to the drastic difference in viscosities of the two media: Crustal rock has viscosity on the order of 100 million times that of AIR- which IS MUCH LESS THAN 1 centipoise (that for water at room temperature). The crust of the earth moves exceedingly slowly, on the order of 1 mm/year, for Coriolis rotations- referenced to and slower than the MANTLE. The atmosphere is rotating on the order of miles/hour, but they both have the same impetus- slower movement on the side of the cell further from the Equator, compared to that on the closer side. For an example of rotation or spiraling in the continental crust, one is shown below for the Zion highlands, Utah- which represents a rise of about a mile above surrounding St. George basin:


ANOTHER IS SHOWN FOR THE HONEYMOON TRAIL ROAD, AT THE ENTRANCE TO A CANYON THERE:


LATERAL ROTATIONS ARE MOST EASILY SEEN (ABOVE) VIA THE STRIATIONS ON SLICKENSIDES- WHICH ARE FOUND WHERE SIDEWAYS FAULT MOVEMENT OCCURS, SUCH AS WITH THIS EXAMPLE (BELOW) ALONG THE GREAT LATERAL B&R FAULT BY FREEWAY I-15, AT LEEDS:
THESE CLASSIC SLICKENSIDES CAN BE SEEN WITHOUT GETTING OUT OF YOUR AUTO, ON HIWAY 9, ON THE EAST SIDE, HEADING TO ZION NP, IN THE GRABEN SWITCHBACKS JUST ABOVE LAVERKIN TOWN: BELOW IS A GOOGLE PHOTO OF THE ZION-GRASS VALLEY REGION, SHOWING THE TWO ROTATING CORIOLIS CELLS:
BELOW ARE DIGITAL PHOTOS OF HIWAY 9, LEADING UP THE SWITCHBACKS INSIDE THE LAVERKIN GRABEN- SHOWING THE MAINTENANCE NECESSARY TO OFFFSET THE SINKING AND SHEARING ONGOING ON THE ASPHALT ROAD. NOTICE THAT THEY ALIGN WITH THE GRABEN WALLS, BUT MOST OF THEM CROSS THE HIGHWAY. THIS INDICATES THAT THERE IS RENEWED SINKING TO THE NORTH, OF THE GRABEN IN THIS EXTENSIONAL REGIME:
NOTICE THAT EVEN ON THE SHOULDER, WHERE THERE IS NO TRAFFIC, THAT THERE ARE LONGITUDINAL CRACKS ALIGNED WITH THE GRABEN AXIS:




CLOSEUP, THE SINUOUS NATURE OF THE ZION SPIRAL MAY BE SEEN: FINALLY,I HAVE ENDED WHERE I STARTED, 2 YEARS AGO, AT THE GRABEN WALLS WHICH PRESENT SUCH REMARKABLE SHINY SLICKENSIDES. I HAVE MADE A COMPLETE CIRCLE AROUND THE GRASS VALLEY CORIOLIS CELL- FINDING THAT IT ROTATES IN HARMONY WITH THE RISING ZION CELL.
WHICH DRAGS THE OTHER? DOES THE RISING ZION CELL, WHICH IS SMALLER, DRAG GV, OR IS IT MORE LIKELEY THE REVERSE? EVEN THOUGH GV IS LARGER AND MOTIVATED BY THE DRAG OF Hf, IT IS YOUNGER IN TIME (FURTHER WEST AND NEAR 1 MILION YEARS AGE FOR IVINS KNOLL), AND HAS VULCANISM STRADDLING Hf. THIS DEMONSTRATES THAT GV DOES NOT HAVE THE MAIN PART OF CP RISING BELOW IT. WE'LL SAVE THIS THOUGHT UNTIL WE CAN SOLVE THE PUZZLE OF IRON MOUNTAIN, SUPER-HIGH CEDAR BREAKS, AND THERMAL INFLUENCES OTHER THAN EXTRUDING MINOR VENTS.

PHOTOS BELOW ARE FOR REVIEW AND "MULLING OVER:"


This demonstrates that NOT ONLY IS THE ZION UPLIFT SPIRALING, BUT IT IS SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE GRASS VALLEY CELL. THESE ARE ROTATING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, CW (SINKING) FOR GV, AND CCW FOR THE ZION SPIRAL (RISING), SIMILAR TO TWO GEARS IN YOUR AUTO TRANSMISSION CASE (NOT GRINDING, AS WOULD OCCCUR IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE GEARBOX CREATES HEAT AND FAILURE). The primary motivation for this is probably due to HEAT OF RADIOACTIVITY, YIELDING AN EXPANDING CRUST WHERE THE DAUGHTER PRODUCTS ARE NUMEROUS. ZION IS RISING, CREATING DRAINAGE TO THE WEST AND THE ST. GEORGE BASIN. THIS BASIN IS SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY MOUNTAINS, WITH THE ONLY OUTLET BEING THE VIRGIN RIVER GORGE.
ONCE THE ZION FEATURE STARTS RISING, IT CREATES MORE HEAT BY THE BRITTLE FRICTION OF RISING (CCW) MAGMA SHEARING WALL ROCK. THIS CONTINUES EVEN AFTER THE MAGMA CEASES TO RISE, SINCE THERE IS BRITTLE FRICTION, BY REVERSE CW SHEARING OF THE SEDIMENTARY COLUMN AGAINST NEARBY ROCK (WHICH IS NOT ROTATING) IN THE SINKING GRASS VALLEY CELL OR REGION. INCIDENTALLY, THIS IS NAMED FAULT REVERSAL BY VULCANOLOGISTS (NOT REVERSE FAULTING, WHICH IS A COMPRESSIONAL ENTITY)
BELOW ARE SOME DIGITAL PHOTOS, TAKEN IN APRIL, 2010, SHOWING SLICKENSIDES AND VIEWS OF THE QUARRY NEAR THE HEAD OF THE ZION SPIRAL. THESE PHOTOS SHOW THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL SPLAYS OF Hf, WHERE IT COMBINES WITH THE SPIRAL TO CREATE GRABENS, FRACTURING, SLICKENSIDES, AND TERRACES TO THE WEST: THE TRIASSIC ROCK CREEK MEMBER OF THE MOENKOPI HAS BEEN SHEARED TO PRODUCE SLICKENSIDES, WHICH CUT ACROSS QUARTZITES, AND WHICH CONTAIN PEBBLES FOUND IN THE GRAND CANYON (CAMBRIAN, MUCH DEEPER THAN AT THIS ELEVATION) AND IN PLACES AS DISTANT AS THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, BUT NOT LOCALLY. HOWEVER, CAMBRIAN ROCKS ARE FOUND TO THE WEST IN THE BEAVER DAM MOUNTAINS:THE LOCAL AREA IS SEEN IN THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS: THE LAVERKIN HOGBACK CAN BE SEEN ABOVE, AND THE PVM ARE ON THE SKYLINE BELOW: HERE IS A PHOTO OF AN ELABORATION OF THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN, TO STIMULATE YOU TO RESEARCH THE CONNECTION OF THE GREAT ANCHORAGE QUAKE OF 1964, THE REGION OF 10,000 SMOKES (KATMAI), AND THE DYNAMICS OF THE SOUTH ALASKA AREA- EAST OF THE ALEUTIAN SPIRAL SHOWN IN THE FIRST PHOTO AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BLOG:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED, AFTER A "BREATHER" IS TAKEN IN THE PUGET SOUND REGION FOR 6 MONTHS.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Laverkin-Zion Spiral: a QUATERNARY Dynamics Portrait

EARTH SCIENCE postings from www.googleearth.com are reported in blogsites in: www.PorOgle.blogspot.com for other locations. THE ARTIFICIAL LINES ON THE PHOTO ABOVE ARE MY DRAWINGS FOR A LOCATION OF THE ZION SPIRAL- WHICH ROTATES AND "RIPS" ALL THE WAY TO THE TOWN OF LAVERKIN, PARTLY ALONG THE LAVERKIN CREEK, EAST OF THE TOQUERVILLE BLOCK FAULTING. THIS ADVANCING LATERAL FAULT IS SLOW (ON THE ORDER OF 1 MM/YEAR), BUT THE "RIP" OR TEAR IS DUE TO THE UPLIFT OF THE ZION HIGHLANDS, WHERE THE RISE CREATES THE TEAR (ADVANCING ABOUT 1 FOOT/YEAR). WE WILL SHOW WHERE THIS "RIP" MANIFESTS ITSELF ALONG THE HURRICANE FAULT, Hf:
This edition pertains to a circulating Crustal Feature, occurring now in the Zion National Park, and which has been creating canyons from the Great White Throne to the Laverkin Creek flowing through the town of Laverkin, Utah. We will dub this entity LZ- the Burden Qao, after the Quarry found at its aftershock operation in the local river bottoms. A photo is shown below, from Google Earth, which shows the trace of the great spiral exiting ZNP- creating canyons and vulcanism in its path.
BELOW IS THE PORTION OF THE SPIRAL TERMINATING IN THE QUARRY AND NEARBY GOUGE ZONE OF MESOZOIC SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:AND BELOW IS A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE DISRUPTED AREA, NEAR THE SWITCHBACKS AT HIWAY 9 (ABOVE LAVERKIN TOWN): ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE OF THIS AREA, TAKEN FROM HIWAY 9 (TO ZION NP) IS SHOWN BELOW. THIS WILL BE AUGMENTED WITH DIGITAL PHOTOS:
BELOW IS A DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE LAVERKIN GRABEN, WHERE THE ZION SPIRAL IS ADVANCING RAPIDLY- YIELDING WIDENING GRABENS AND OPEN FRACTURES:
THE SEDIMENTS DEPOSITED RECENTLY (QUATERNARY) ARE FINE GRAINED- SHOWING THAT THE TERRACES WERE RELATIVELY FLAT AND LEVEL, AND HAD FEW BOULDERS OR COBBLES WHICH WOULD INDICATE STEEP SLOPES (LOOK AT WALLS IN THE TRENCH):
WHEN YOU TREK UPHILL FROM THE OBVIOUS GRABEN, THE ADVANCING "RIP" BECOMES VERY SUBTLE- YIELDING SEVERAL SPLAYS, WHICH WARRANT NO SUSPICION. THE "RIP" RESULTS IN A WIDENING VALLEY, WITH SHATTERED ROCK (LIMESTONE):

All this is hard to believe, but a fore-runner to this analysis is shown for the Aleutian chain, Alaska, which shows an easily-seen feature occurring on the sea bottom, north of the islands of the Aleutians, and which is being dragged by the SW- rotating chain. This is occurring now, but appears to have started after the asteroid strike occurring at the boundary of the Cretaceous to Tertiary periods, KT.

ANOTHER REFERENCE FOR ALL THIS IS THE MENDOCINO, CA ROTATION ABOUT THE 40N BULGE BOUNDARY (SIMILAR TO THE ELEVATION BULGE AT Hf), WHERE THE THICKER CRUST ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE 40N LATITUDE CREATES A ROTATION ABOUT THE WESTWARD SHEARING ZONE AT THE 40N LINEAR:
BELOW IS A MODEL FOR THE ELLIPTICAL CASE OF CORIOLIS ROTATIONS- IN THIS CASE, THERE IS THE COMPLICATION OF THE SIERRAS MOUNTAIN CHAIN CAUSING THE DRAG TO THE WEST, BETWEEN MENDOCINO 40N LATITUDE AND THE BASIN AND RANGE, B&R, ROTATING CW- OPPOSITELY TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE SIERRAS CCW ROTATION: BELOW IS A LOCATION MAP OF THE CA-DV, NV AREA, SHOWING THE GREAT CELLS WHICH ARE DETERMINING THE INTERFERENCE THERE:
THE DEATH VALLEY FAULTING IS SHOWN VIA A SHEARED VOLCANO, WHICH OCCURRED INITIALLY DUE TO THE SHEAR IN THE VALLEY; SINCE THE SHEAR CONTINUED, THE RESULTING VENT IS LATER SHEARED BY THE SAME CORIOLIS ROTATION:
BELOW IS SHOWN THE MOVEMENT OF THE SIERRAS CRUST (BECAUSE OF GREATER PROTRUSION OF THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE) TOWARDS THE WEST. THIS WESTWARD SHOVE OCCURS DUE TO THE GREATER SLOWING OF THE CRUST, WHENEVER IT PROTRUDES MORESO THAN NEIGHGBORING CRUST- SIMILAR TO THAT AT THE ZION HIGHLANDS AND THE HURRICANE FAULT (BOTH OF WHICH PROTRUDE MORE THAN THE ST. GEORGE BASIN TO THE WEST: A BLOWUP OF THE CA-DV REGION IS SHOWN BELOW, FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING:
The movement of the "RIP" IS IN JERKS- WHERE PERIODICALLY, THE CRUST EXHIBITS EARTHQUAKES FROM VULCANISM (AND POSSIBLY MAGNETIC REVERSAL). THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 3 TIMES FROM TERRACES VIEWED ABOVE THE HURRICANE FAULT. AT KOLOB MESA, THERE ARE 5 JERKS SEEN ON THE SLUMPS ABOVE THE TOWN OF VIRGIN. WE'LL ESTIMATE THE TIME INVOLVED BETWEEN EPISODES BY THE LENGTH OF THE GRABEN, N-S, WHICH PROBABLY WAS IN ONE EPISODE. USING THE AVERAGE TIME FOR THE SPIRAL MOVEMENTM, AT 34 CM/YEAR, THIS YIELDS A TIME TO COMPLETE THE LATEST GRABEN OF 2470 YEARS. THERE ARE A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS BEHIND THIS CALCULATION, BUT THIS GIVES AN ESTIMATION OF THE RISK AND HAZARD CYCLICITY TO THE LOCAL AREA. (This all reminds me of the famous quotation by Steven Gould, who is reported to have replied to the interjection by a listener to his lecture "You mean that evolution is gotten from a series of CREEPS? To which he replied "NO, IT IS QUESTIONED BY JERKS!). WE'LL LOOK AT THE ROADBED, CONCRETE SLABS, AND FRESHNESS OF SCARPS TO DETERMINE IF THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS IS OCCURRING IN "JERKS", RATHER THAN A SLOW MOVEMENT, IS PROPER: There are several factors to be considered to solve the CASE OF THE SPIRALING OF THE ZION HIGHLAND AND ADJACENT MOVEMENT:
1. Although we started with the age of the Crater Hill, the uplands probably had been rising at least a million years before this extrusion. But even with this extension of time, the advancing “rip” would still have a velocity of 10 cm/year or so. We have calculated for the whole spiral, that there was a rate of 34 cm/year;
2. Offsetting this by rise and tearing of the sedimentary column by uplift would not involve more than 1 cm/year or so, hence this is not likely an alternative; The “rip” is likely occurring in spurts or jerks, so that a graben can be formed continuously between major movements of the Hurricane fault (and not due to slow steady rise);
3. The FAST SPIRALING OF THE ZION HIGHLANDS may occur in cycles, allowing vulcanism to be quiescent for long periods, and for fast movements to occur after lengthy cycles;
4. It is likely that this entire feature has occurred in late Tertiary to Quaternary time, since the 200 k.years vulcanism along Hf did not occur until after the 320 k.years Crater Hill extrusion. This is a regularity, with vulcanism moving westward and forming Hf with associated volcanoes in the Quaternary; and,
5. The ZION spiral crosses regular GRIDS OF PARALLEL FRACTURES, so that it is younger than those.

ASSERTION: THIS SPIRAL FITS ALL OF THE OBSERVATONS NOTED FOR OTHER ALEUTIAN, HONEYMOON, AND CORIOLIS SPIRALS, FOR THIS INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY. IT IS SO WELL-FORMED AND OBVIOUS THAT IT MUST PRESENT SOME NEW EVIDENCE FOR ITS DYNAMICS. LET'S FIND IT BY HIKING THE ZION NP- BUT THIS IS ONE TOUGH ASSIGNMENT FOR AN OCTOGENARIAN! THERE MUST BE SOME "SLEEPERS" OUT THERE, WHO CAN GET OFF OF THE COUCH AND PRESENT NEW EVIDENCE!
BELOW ARE PHOTOS MADE WHILE HIKING EAST OF THE LAVERKIN QUARRY- SHOWING THE TRIASSIC MOENKOPI, ROCK CREEK MEMBER (LOWEST). THIS OUTCROP HAS SLICKENSIDES, WHICH INDICATE N-S SHEAR AND ROTATION OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU TO THE EAST, AND DRAINAGE TO THE QUARRY TO THE WEST. THIS MEMBER IS THE OLDEST AND NEAREST FORMATION TO THE EARLIER PERMIAN EXTINCTION, PTr, WHERE THERE WAS A MAJOR UPLLIFT, LOSS OF MOST LIFE, AND PROBABLE ASTEROID STRIKE- CREATING THE DAMAGE:
PHOTOS ABOVE AND BELOW SHOW THE GREAT FAULTS ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, INCLUDING THE WASHINGTON FAULT IN THE TRANSITION ZONE. NOTE THAT THEY GENERALLY ARE CONCAVE TO THE EAST, INDICATING THAT THEY ROTATE CONFORMABLY WITH THE CCW MOVEMENT OF CP PROPER. I SUSPECT THAT THEY ARE DUE TO STRAIN RELEASE (MOVEMENT, NOT THE SAME AS STRESS, WHICH MAY HAVE DELAY IN CREATING STRAIN. THIS IS THE ENGINEERING DIFINITION OF STRESS-STRAIN TERMINOLOGY (NOT THE GEOLOGICAL PRACTICE OF USING BOTH AS EQUIVALENT)- WHICH WAS BUILDING UP DUE TO SPIRALLING OF THE CP. AT THE TIME OF ASTEROID (NOT ON ASTEROIDS, A-STEROIDS) STRIKES, THE STRAIN WAS ACCELERATED BY THE SHOCK, AND THE ROTATION ALLOWED INCREASED DISPLACEMENT TO THE WEST (ALONG WITH LATERAL MOVEMENT ALONG THE NORMAL FAULT- LATERAL SHEAR, CREATING SLICKENSIDES. WE WILL SEARCH FOR THESE INDICATIONS, TO CONFIRM THIS ENTITY WHICH GEOLOGISTS CAN'T SEE, BECAUSE THEY ARE SATISFIED FINDING NORMAL DISPLCEMENT, AND FURTHER CAN'T SEE AS LATERAL MOVEMENT, BECAUSE OF HORIZONTAL BEDDING ONLY SHOWING SLICKENSIDES, INSTEAD OF SHIFT OF THE HORIZONTAL BEDS LATERALLY:

TESTING WHETHER THE GREAT FAULTS ON THE WEST EDGE AND TRANSITION ZONE OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, CP, RESULT FROM ACCELERATION OF STRAIN CREATED BY SIGNIFICANT ASTEROID STRIKES, I PRESENT A VIEW OF THE IMPORTANT ONES (CAUSING DIVERSION OF THE COLORADO RIVER IN THE GRAND CANYON IN TWO DIRECTIONS- ACCORDING TO TIME OF THE STRIKES AND DIRECTION OF IMPACT) BELOW:




I TEMPORARILY CEASE MY WORK, UNTIL PUTTING IN THE SUMMER AT A PLACE WHERE I CAN ASSIMILATE THE ROTATION VERTICALLY OF CRUST NEAR THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS- WHICH ARE PUSHING WESTWARD, OPENING THE PUGET SOUND (NOT A GLACIALLY-GOUGED DEEP AT ALL!). BEFORE THAT, GLANCE AGAIN AT WHAT STARTED THIS ENTIRE INVESTIGATION- THE BEAUTIFUL SLICKENSIDES, GLISTENING IN THE SUNLIGHT, WAITING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS NOT INDOCTINATED WITH MANTLE PLUMES, HOTSPOTS, AND HOT PLATES FOR ASSERTING NONSENSE ABOUT THE "SHIFTING SANDS" AS IN THE MINISTER'S VOCABULARY.
TO INDUCE YOU TO FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF ALL THIS "CORIOLIS TECTONICS", I EXHIBIT BELOW ANOTHER CASE I AM STUDYING FOR THE SUMMER (I AM PLANNING TO VISIT THERE FROM MY PUGET SOUND HOME):

PHOTO ABOVE SHOWS THAT THE WASHINGTON FAULT IS THE CENTERLINE OF A ROTATION ABOUT THIS REGION FROM THE VIRGIN RIVER TO SAND MOUNTAIN. I WILL CHECK FURTHER, REGIONALLY- BELOW, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE REGIONAL VIEW SHOWS THAT IT IS LEFT-LATERAL (AS WAS SHOWN IN A HOUSE SLAB FRACTURE IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON CITY). WHEN YOU ANALYZE THESE LINEAR LATERAL FAULTS, SUCH AS Hf, YOU FIND THAT THE EASIEST WAY TO RELIEVE THE STRESS ALONG A LATERAL FAULT IS TO ROTATE THE CRUST SURROUNDING THE LINEAR, SUCH THAT THE ROTATION RELIEVES THE TENDENCY TO DRAG ONE SIDE OF THE FAULT COMPARED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE:

THIS WILL CONTINUE, WITH MORE FIELD WORK (INCLUDING THE ALASKA DYNAMICS), SINCE THE RAPID ADVANCE OF THE "RIP" OF THE LAVERKIN CANYON AND NEARBY GRABEN IS A HAZARD TO ROAD MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS BELOW THE HIWAY 9 SCARP.