CONTINENTAL SHELVES: FORMATION AND CORRELATIONS

Summary:
Shelf width increases as rotational movement along the shelf increases. A rotating cell leaves a gradually widening trace behind- e.g. for Antarctica, the shelf can be seen to be initiated at the forward edge of rotation and to widen where the movement has had time to enlarge it. This is shown above, for the case where there is a young expulsion of Pliocene crust from the continent with no other land mass to impede it:

The west coast of North America shows several minima and maxima of the width of the continental shelf. Generally, these occur at obvious shear transforms in the Pacific Basin, and in the case of Cape Mendocino, CA are side-by-side (minimum on the north, and maximum on the south side).
The comparison has already been presented in a previous Blog, on the Sierras, to show that the mountains pushing westward has created a dynamic, where there is not only shear continuing to Midway Island, but that Coriolis rotation has simultaneously occurred- with a resulting 175 km of movement at the Garlock fault and 100+ km westward push at Mendocino south side.
The Pacific east shores are shown for South America, below, so that a comparison may be made for this zone where the Equator to 40S latitudes have maxima and minima shown:
The SA zone has a variation of shelf width, and is the case where there is little vulcanism, but nevertheless drag of the shelves under the continent- producing rotation of the shelves underneath the west coast of SA to create the Andes Mountains.

Remember that drag by the Mantle produces eastward movement of the base of the crust, while high mountains create westward Tidal shove of the crust between mountains and ocean basin. The acronym for this is MAD-MACS: Mantle drag- Mountain augmented Crustal Shove. The Pacific is the best ocean to study for this process, since there is not the simultaneous portrayal of Rifting (as in the Atlantic), Asteroid strikes (as in the Indian Ocean), or Polar wandering (as in the Arctic).

I will explore the theorem that WHILE THERE IS MOVEMENT OF THE MOUNTAINS TO THE WEST, THERE IS ROTATION OF THE SHELF AREA TO ENLARGE IT. This would be due to protrusion of the coastal mountains or the Crust to incur Coriolis rotation of the independent movement created by uplift of the Crust by any means (thermal expansion, asteroid mechanical re-arrangement of the location, or “jerks” by magnetic reversal).
Impinging on the solution of the movement of the Horn of WA is the interference of the continental slope- which obscures the display of transforms. Getting a handle on this requires that an understanding of the formation of shelves be acquired. I propose that the shelf is due to disruption of the Crust by either Coriolis rotation, shear by Mantle drag, or Asteroid strikes. It is possible that all three will create the shelves, and an analysis will be made for the Atlantic, where there is no eastern component (Mantle drag) possible for a continent which has moved progressively westwardly. A view of the Atlantic coast and the associated shelves is shown below:
Barring some other unknown mechanics phenomenon, the solution to the formation of the shelves should be due to Coriolis rotation or Asteroid strikes, or both. Notice that the following seems to correlate:1. Offshore Florida indicates Coriolis rotation has created the widest shelf, while offshore Newfoundland has the longest shelf along the direction of transforms. These indicate that the two factors cannot yet be separated;

2. Shelf boundary follows the 40N latitude parallel (Long Island eastward- a distance of 666 km, and using 250 m.y. as the time of disruption, a crustal velocity or 2.7 mm/yr), until the edge is reached, at which there is an inflection. 40N is the northern boundary of the Equatorial Bulge, so that this is an additional factor to be incorporated;
3. Shelf size is not correlated with land mass, since Newfoundland-eastward has the largest width of shelf. The first indication is that the shelf resides where a Crustal landmass previously existed (before movement by Coriolis, asteroid strike, or shifting of bulges in the earth’s diameter- such as mountains, EB, or asteroid craters);
4. Shelf size is not correlated with direction of the Appalachian NW trace, and this hints of a poor relation with asteroid strikes; and,
5. Siltation from other entities, such as erosion of nearby landmass, may be a “fly-in-the-ointment”, since the traces or appearance of shelves is the same as within Hudson Bay. This emphasizes that shelves represent negative information- where transforms, shear lines and direction of disturbance are obscure, except for turbidity channels and flow current canyons.

A MODEL FOR CONTINENTAL SHELF FORMATION IS THAT OF THE "MIMA MOUNDS" WHERE ELLIPTICAL ROTATIONS CREATE TERRACES, A TYPE OF SHELF; THESE HAVE ONE HALF OF THE TIME OF ROTATION FOR 100K.Y. MILANKOVITCH ELLIPTICAL CYCLES. I SUSPECT THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE SOLAR TIDE BEING HALF THE INFLUENCE OF THE MOON AND TIDES FORMED OTHERWISE. WE WILL INVESTIGATE THIS, FIRST BY VIEWING MIMA MOUNDS FOUND ON WHIDBEY ISLAND AND NEAR THE COAST OF THE NW:





FOOTNOTE: EARTH TIDES CAUSE A WESTWARD MOVEMENT OF 20MM/YEAR, LATERALLY. THE CASE OF MIMA-HOLMES GOLF AREA REPRESENTS A MOVEMENT UPWARD! THIS HAS A DIFFERENT CYCLE COMPARED TO LATERAL SHIFT, AND ILLUSTRATES THAT WE HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW ENTITY- ONE OF VIBRATION, CHATTER, AND JERK OF THE CRUST. THIS HAS A CYCLICITY AT VARIANCE WITH THE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT- WHICH IS OMNI-PRESENT, FOR ALL TIME (DUE TO CONTINUAL FRICTION CAUSED BY THE MOON, AND OTHER MASSES). THAT THE UPWARD SHIFT IS EXACTLY HALF OF THE LATERAL IS INTRIGUING! MY FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT SOLAR TIDES ARE INVOKED VIS-A-VIS THE MOON. WE'LL ATTACK THIS IN ANOTHER BLOG, WHERE I WILL SHOW HOW THE SOLAR PORTION CAN BE MEASURED AT THE EQUATOR (GALAPAGOS ISLANDS), BECAUSE OF LACK OF CORIOLIS ROTATION AND UNNECESSARY USE OF LATITUDE CORRECTION.


Standard Explanation for the Continental Slope:
Generally, it is thought by the GEOLOGY CULTURE that continental shelves were created during the ICE AGE, where the sea level was on the order of as much as 120 meters lower (where water was tied up in glaciers, as solid ICE). This allowed erosion of the coastal plain to level the top of the Crust, which is now the top of the CS. This is true part of the time, where the water depth is no more than 120 meters. However, as seen in the Google photo for the Atlantic shelf, there is quite a lot of the shelf which is much deeper. This might be explained by erosion during the ice age, where turbidity currents and edge-of-shelf slumping occurred.

This sort of thing is reasonable, and this typifies the progression of Geologic thought, First, something is asserted as being obvious, then it is gradually accepted by the CULTURE, and after awhile with no evidence, what was just an assertion is investigated no further, but TAKEN AS FACT!

I will leave it open whether the shelf was created by erosion during the Pleistocene, but also temper my thoughts by the observation that the GEOLOGY CULTURE is completely wrong about the Plate Theory, where movement is lateral and asserted by practitioners that all is vertical (such as subduction, Mantle Plumes, and Hotspots). Instead, Coriolis rotation is lateral, as is drag by the Mantle on the base of the Crust.

Notice that there is quite a bit of variation of the depth to the continental shelf, and a lot cannot be explained by sea level drop during the ice age. Further, I have selected the Atlantic, so that eastward drag by the Mantle cannot be the impetus, since the continent has moved westward (expected, since the crust is continually being dragged westward by TIDAL FRICTION). The Crust for continents moves slower than lower elevation sea bottom and the top of the Mantle.

YOUNG ROTATIONS ABOUT ANTARCTICA (CREATED BY THE PLIOCENE EJECTION OF S. SHETLAND AND OTHER VOLCANIC ISLANDS) HAS LEFT DEFINITE INDICATIONS OF CONTINENTAL SHELVES BENG CREATED BY ROTATIONS OF BOTH SINKS AND UPLIFTS ON THE EAST (RISING) SIDE AND WEST(SINKING)SIDES. THE SLIDE OF CRUST LATERALLY LEAVES THE TOP OF THE SHELVES AS AN INDICATOR OF ROTATION-SLIDING OF LAND MASS; INCIDENTLY, THIS SHOWS THAT THE LATERAL MOVEMENT OF CRUST IS LIMITED IN ITS DEPTH- SO THAT METAMORPHISM CAN BE A SHALLOW PHENOMENON: AND AT THE NOTH POLE, THERE IS A CONCOMITANT EVENT:
MY ANALYSIS POINTS TO THE LOCATION WHICH IS LIKELY TO HAVE CONFLICT-PRODUCING GEOTHERMAL HEAT. SEARCH OF THE LITERATURE PRODUCED 69 mW/m2 (at my location indicating conflict of rotating cells) for the Cenozic heat flux- which is the highest flux calculated or measured. THIS DOESN'T INDICATE CONFIRMATION, BUT DOES HINT THAT WHERE THE ICE IS MELTING FASTEST, THERE MIGHT BE HEAT OF BRITTLE FRICTION (THAT MY CONCLUSIONS INDICATE): OTHER CASES SHOW THAT SHELVES DEVELOP IN A COMPLEX FASHION- THEY ARE NOT THE RESULT OF A SIMPLE WESTWARD TIDAL MOVEMENT. THEY INDICATE THAT THE CONTINENTAL CRUST SLIDES OVER THEM AS TIME PASSES, AND THAT THERE IS A SIMULTANEOUS MOVEMENT OF ROTATION. THEY ARE WIDER WHEN THERE IS A REACTION TO A STRIKE AS WITH THE FOLLOWING CASE OF THE 41 M.Y. MENDOCINO MOVEMENT: ENLARGING:
THE CASE OF THE APPALACHIAN OROGENY IS VALUABLE- SHOWING THAT NOT ONLY IS THE AGE OF APPROXIMATELY 256 M.Y. CONFIRMED (SIMULTANEOUSLY INDICATING THAT THE ANALYSIS IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK), BUT THAT THERE IS A LATITUDE COMPONENT. THE WIDTH OF THE SHELF IS GREATER E-W FOR NEWFOUNDLAND AT LARGE LATITUDE, AND LARGER N-S NEAR FLORIDA. FURTHER, THE CALCULATION IS 2 KM/M.Y. SOUTHERLY, AND 8 KM/M.Y. IN THE NORTH (USING DIFFERENCES OF AGE BETWEEN SHEAR CIRCLES). THIS HINTS THAT EARTH TIDES AUGMENT THE E-W DEVELOPMENT, BUT THAT THEY DO NOT FOR THE N-S ROTATION!
Summary:
Shelf width increases as rotational movement along the shelf increases. A rotating cell leaves a gradually widening trace behind- e.g. for Antarctica, the shelf can be seen to be initiated at the forward edge of rotation and to widen where the movement has had time to enlarge it. This is shown below, for the case where there is a young expulsion of Pliocene crust from the continent with no other land mass to impede it:

FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF THE VARIOUS ROTATIONS WITH TIME AND DISLOCATIONS CREATED BY THE EVENTS OCCURRING AT TIMES MEASURED ALONG THE HI-EMPEROR SEAMOUNT CHAIN ARE SHOWN BY CALCULATING THE AGES OF THE CURVATURES AT CENTRAL AMERICA AND CUBA. THIS IS A COMPLICATED REGIME, BUT THE PROMINENT FEATURE OCCURRING AT 40-41 M.Y. (FIRST EXHIBITED AT KIMMEI SEAMOUNT, AND ITS RAMIFICATIONS SHOWING UP IN MANY LOCATIONS IN THE QUADRANSPHERE) IS FOUND TO BE CENTRAL TO MANY EVENTS:





THIS ANALYSIS WILL CONTINUE- STAY TUNED!