Coriolis Influence on Moving ice- Glaciers

Coriolis Influence on Moving Ice
Coriolis Forces are omni-present on the moving Earth- occurring due to the differential velocities of moving mass positioned across Latitude lines. The further away from the Equator a mass is positioned, the slower the horizontal velocity from Spin- becoming zero at the North or South Poles. Equatorial movement is greatest, since the spin of the Earth creates the fastest surface movement there. Consequently, moving mass tends to turn to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, since the velocity is greater on the south side than the north. As a result, weather cells with low pressure incur winds which blow to the center of the cell and are forced to the right, or Counter-Clockwise. High pressure moves outwardly and, with right movement, winds spin CW. As a result of all this, continents and large islands incur rotation everywhere except exactly at the Equator- where there is maximum velocity due to spin of the Earth. A photo of South America shows that the continent has spun CW, creating a “tail” trail of islands and arcuate coast line at Tierra del Fuego:

This rotation of mass occurs at small time intervals, so that we dn't have to have millions of years of history for a recognizable geometry on a map. I have found that volcanoes with emerging lava incur rotation CCW, and later present CW rotation as cooling and shrinking occurs- even on the 100 kyear scale. Such a case has been documented in southern Utah for the Grass Valley and other young volcanoes, which are cooling and rotating CW (from slickensides and cracked slabs of concrete).

Above is a photo of Mt. St. Helens- a recent volcano, that is obviously still active and therefore rotating CCW (for rising features). A small stream has been diverted by the rotation- shown on the lower right side. Since this stream probablly has been photographed before the eruption, this represents a case which could be documented for rate of movement along the stream bed (the eruption has increased the rotation rate). I have found 5 mm/yr, for cooling vulcanism, and this case is probably faster. Try your hand at finding old photos of the stream and then measure the displacement to calculate the rate of movement.
Below is the expanded photo of the stream shift. Although the westward extension is not obvious, the shift of the east stream is clear. Some field work should be performed here to confirm the movement age.


A corollary to all this Coriolis movement is pertinent to the Equatorial Bulge, EB. Since there is an extra thickness of the Earth due to centrifugal force slinging mass outwardly there and to the attraction of the moon, there is added Coriolis influence in this zone. This is an observation, since it appears from case studies that the movement laterally of the Crust is independent of the Mantle- the movement being unable to be transmitted across the Asthenosphere. Consequently, continents rotate more rapidly in this 40N to 50S latitudinal EB zone than further away for the Equator. The thin Crust of the ocean basins incur less rotation than thick crust of the continents, and exhibit almost-straight lines of shear (transforms), rather than obvious circular features.
How about ice from Glaciers? This is a classic case, where ice moves downhill with measurable horizontal velocity- which should incur movement to the right. An expected complication occurs due to vertical velocity of weight-incurred ice movement- sinking while ice builds up and rising due to rebound with melting.
The first case is a simple one- that for Holmes Harbor- which exhibited movement southward during the last Wisconsin glacier stage. The trace of the ice may be seen on LIDAR maps as N-S linear traces creating river ways and with etches on large boulders on Whidbey Island (Examples include Goose Rock and Rocky Point). Below is shown a Google Photo of Holmes Harbor, which lies alongside N-S creeks such as Chase Lake and Honeymoon Lake drainage. Maxwelton Creek in the south of the island is a perennial stream which flows along a south drainage, except for a lower NW-SE tributary under the influence of faulting.

Notice that Holmes Harbor has a circular appearance, turning to the west as the ice moved to the south. The termination of this lobe is at the town of Freeland, where moraines and drainage ways can be seen there to document that the ice moved no further and was the last of the glaciation to move southward. If we assume that the glacier moved over a measurable time interval, the rate of diversion to the right can be calculated (about 2 km/10k years, or 20 cm/year). This is no more than an estimate, but could be measured accurately for precise dating and lateral distance determination. This estimation is large compared to that measured in connection with volcanism. One principal reason for this is the viscosity of ice, compared to that of rock surrounding a rising magma (as much as 20 kilometers distant, rock is found to have shear and horizontal slickensides occurring in a circular pattern). Even common limestone, which is visibly plastic- moving noticeably in a lifetime- is much more resistant to shearing stress than ice, salt, or shale. Consequently, movement of cm/year rather than mm/year for sandstone can be expected. The time scales are the main variable- being less than 50k years for glaciers, compared to 100k years for the volcanoes studied.



A more complex case is that for Penn Cove- which is the next glacial depression to the north. Penn Cove moved 250 degrees form north or almost westward. This can be seen from LIDAR maps, as an overlay onto older southerly traces of glacial movement, and from orientation of the waterway itself. Since the fresher track obviously obliterates the N-S traces, it is younger, and it terminates at Ebby’s Landing waterways and near glacial Kettles to the west. This ice movement created an arcuate depression as it moved westward, but is complicated by a reversal (left diversion) near the middle of Penn Cove. I have found that sinking (cooling) magma chambers exhibit CW rotation (versus CCW for heating and expanding volcanoes). It is possible that sinking ice lobes- due to their weight- would accentuate the CW rotation exhibited in the photo, on the east side. The reverse on the left (west) side would be a CCW rotation for rebound or uplifting areas, and this could explain the reversal noticed for Penn Cove. Rebound would not be expected for increasing weight of ice, so that uplift would have to be documented (incurred during westward movement of the lobe). We will try to document this effect by cliff study west of Monroe’s Landing on the north side of Penn Cove.
Added information is shown below for the east part of Penn Cove, where an iron spring indicates that exotic behavior occurs.


The iron springs obviously contains double valent iron- which is oxidized upon contact with the air (changing into the tri-valent insoluble form). This has formed a cemented gravel ramp at the edge of the tidal zone.
More likely, the left deviation seen for Penn cove occurs due to ENCOUNTER OF THE MOVING ICE with a sinking subsurface CW-rotating Coriolis cell (which could still be rotating). Estimating that at least 10 kyears have transpired since the lobe moved westward, this yields a left movement of about 2 kilometers. This is estimated from the Holmes Harbor case, with 20 cm/yr displacement. The total rotating cell movement can only be extrapolated, since only the underwater portion can be seen. EXTRAPOLATE THE SHOWN PORTION, USING A CONSTANT DIAMETER, and the projection would have influenced the western wall of the previous ice lobe.

Above photo shows only the west portion of Penn Cove- where there is a left diversion. This portion is subject to a different action compared to the east side.
This area is a popular location for hiking, viewing the glacial kettles (a half kettle may be seen north of Perego Lake, from the trail there), and viewing the rich soil found on the north, south and east sides of the Cove. The old drainage from the glacier was to the south- avoiding the highlands of the Kettle area. This area is still rising from hints I have found walking the beaches to the west. Conversely, the area to the south has lowlands, sinks, and peat beds.

Above is shown a photo of the cliffs at Coupeville- which is near the intersection of the two ice lobes. The Holmes Harbor is a south-trending glacier, and the Penn Cove is a result of a later movement to the west. There is interference between the later thrust and sliding ice and the earlier southern movement.
This may all be seen by walking a few hundred meters to the west below the boardwalk near the museum in the town of Coupeville.

The solution to the left deviation in Penn Cove is shown above, if you can interpret the trace underwater. My analysis, considering cases I have analyzed from the SW USA, indicates that a rotary cell to the west of the Cove has caused the Crust to move laterally. The direction must be checked with measurements on the scarp, but the incipience appears to be on the west side (CW).
Looking at the photo above, an extrapolation toward the east can be made for the portion of a rotating cell shown on the west. For this scenario, the west side of the ice lobe would have been shoved to the south- yielding a left diversion for the western portion of the Penn Cove ice lobe.The new presentations are much younger than those studied previously. We are dealing with only 10-50 kyears, for these last ice movements, and rotary movements are only partially presented- they are ongoing, with active rotation incomplete (compared to Tertiary or Mesozoic portraits).
Information from the Great Lakes glacial region:


Before carrying this to its extreme, look at the larger expression of glaciation- the Great Lakes, which had more episodes of ice advance than the NW Puget Sound area. Notice that the rotation is to the left for Lake Michigan and Superior. Is this evidence of a failure of the Coriolis Theory? Remember that rotation is CW (this case) for sinking or shrinking Crust, and CCW for rising earth. This is a larger picture, encompasssing several states, and more is going on here than just right deviation of a single lobe of ice.
Niagara Falls is the simplest expression of rebound (rising Crust), since the Crust is rising faster than can be eroded. This is the present condition, with rebound occurring AFTER the ice has retreated. The rotation would be CCW for rising earth, but during the ice age with active advance, the Crust would be depressed below the ice lobes. Sinking earth should rotate CW, the opposite of normal tectonics. Sinking (depressions, sinks and downward movement) should exhibit the opposite of uplift, volcanoes, and salt domes.
My conclusion is: the multi-state region is rotating, or has rotated while ice was forming, in a CW movement- offsetting the rightward movement of individual lobes while advancing- and resulting in apparent ice movement to the left (spiraling of ther Great Lakes is CW- dragging the Crust and its overlying ice.) In other words, the Coriolis rotation of the Crust (the whole region which was covered with ice) was not effected only in single lobes (which are a small part of the "Big Picture"). The overall effect was larger than the rightward movement of one ice lobe (which is shown in the photo, trending left-ward).

Above is one scenario for erosion, river formation, and rotation of the general area.

A photo of Lake Michigan is rotated 90 degrees, so that you can see the effects of glaciation and rotation for yourself. Etches in the bottom sediments and rock may be due to shear, siltation, currents, or movement of the Earth.

Below is a photo of the Mendocino, CA location- showing the area of my next investigation (I will visit it this August). This is an important area for clues for the tranistion of Coriolis rotation to shear, going westward under the Pacific Basin.
Part of the interesting features near Mendocino is the Fern Canyon State Park, near the mouth of hte Klamath River. The rver is part of a Coriolis cell, evidently sinking- causing CW rotation. We will check this along the K. River, to see whether slickensides have fornmed on the canyon walls.
Below the photo is rotated at right angles to show more of the canyon area. Notice that there is a partial cell, which seems to be dragged CCW (I'll check this in the field, since this is my greatest source of error- finding drag and rotation direction.
If my analysis is correct, there is counter-rotation crossing the klamath River (so that there is no shear and subseqaunt metamorphism or heat produced- since the cells rotate as gears with no interference).
The photo below is used to investigate whether a subtle change such as sufficient uplift to cause a meander to silt up can be noticed on the Google Earth map. There is indeed a small circular portrait for half of a rotation. This is only for a one meter uplift or siltation, so that little credence can be attached to it. But the feature requires further investigation, since this may have enough upward movement for the Coriolis Forces to create a discernable effect.
Another feature to investigate this summer 09 is that of a rotating cell near an oilfield- Petrolia, CA (which is near Mendocino and Fernm Canyon). We will hike this area with a view of finding any evidence of slickensides, fracture parallelness, and shear in the rocks. This is shown below:
TO BE CONTINUED

2009 Whidbey Island hikes and analyses

Above is a Google map of Whidbey Island, where 2009 summer hikes will be conducted. Our goal is to document the movements of the island in the various directions: rebound, shearing, uplift, rotation, sinking, and linear faulting.
This starts the summer hikes on Whidbey Island, where I have documented movements of the Crust- by weekly hikes along the beaches. These are seen mainly by parallel fractures in glacial till, but there are some visible faults. Introducing these via Google Photos, above is shown the BIG PICTURE- where the Mesozoic makes contact with Recent till (as young as 14k years, bp) on the north part of the island, via lateral faulting.
Items above are an unsolved enigma, showing plots for the numerical ALKALINITY in water wells. There is a regularity to the graph of Alk/Cloride on a geographical map. This is perpendicular to the faulting known to occur on South Whidbey Island. The plot is parallel to the inlet and eroded portion of the island. I have found that alkalnity, which correlates with bicarbonate in water, is a good indicator for solution of calcereous cement in soil or PRESTONE. When acidic rain dissolves the cement, preferentially via fractures at the ground surface, the soil is weakened and erodes further, and slumps in large blocks into the nearby sea. I have included a bare map, so that you can print and make your own interpretation. Since Dr. Eaton was shown this and he doubted the veracity of interpretation, and later plotted it himself without further admonitions, I assume that it is a good interpolation. However, if you find that there is a different interpretation, make a comment on the Blog below.

Notice that there is orthogonality presented- perpendicularity with the SE Maxweton fault. In addition, there are two circular presentations in the Bay bottom, indicating that Criolis rotation takes place there. This is more information to consider to form an analysis of the whole feature of HCO3 ion concentration, faulting, and rotation of the soft weak silt bottom sediments.
ITEMS BELOW WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO SUMMER 2009 HIKES ON WHIDBEY ISLAND
Admiralty Point to Baby Island fault zone
While walking the beaches near the village of Ledgewood (Central W.I.), several anomalies can be spotted:
a. To the north of the public access parking area at the Village of Ledgewood, about 100 meters, there was a house sliding into the fault zone for several years. During 2008, the debris was removed, and only a slump zone can now be viewed as the main evidence of a left-lateral fault. A nearby resident showed me her garage slab, which was separated form the house slab by a 2 x 4 horizontal wooden upright. The nails holding the 2 x 4 were bent southeastward- indicating that the northern portion of the house slab had moved NW-ward;
b. There is considerable evidence of sedimentary beds tilted down to the west, at the beach 1 km south of the downramp. These are thin siltstone or white beds with angular edges, indicating that a local fracture had opened, allowing the white beds to slide into the fracture (which was subsequently buried by glacial till and finally exhumed by wave erosion of the island inland);
c. Following a SE line toward Baby Island, first, a spring and wetlands are encountered on the eastern side of Whidbey Island. Refer to the Google photos to see all of these anomalies;
d. Hancock Lake is anomalous-a depression- and it continues to erode via its connection to the Admiralty Passage. At one time, cranberries were raised in the lowland, but seawater continually entered through the eroded and sinking inlet; NOTE: I have found that Coriolis forces act on a mass which is thinner on one side, compared to the other, by elevating the side with thicker mass and depressing the side with thinner Crust (in addition, the diameter of the rotating cell may be estimated- in this case, about a km or so);
Finally, at the beach near Saratoga Road, in the shallow waters toward Baby Island, there occur two parallel fault tracks, similar to subtle hogbacks (raised into the air by buckling). These indicate that Baby Island is separated from the main island by a fault zone. One may walk to the island during low tide, and can walk on top of these few inches-high scarps (see photos of thee features below):


My initial and current analysis is to place a fault line along the NW-SE orientation, from Admiralty Head (which exhibits a nearby saddle in the hilly land). The fault zone at Ledgewood is spread over a kilometer, with the slippage found over the entire interval- where considerable shear is caused by the left-lateral fault. From the accompanying photo, there occurs a line of shear near Hancock Lake, with no obvious connection with the fault at Ledgewood.
Of course, there is a zone of shear, which distributes the few millimeters of movement yearly along at least a kilometer of beach. On the south side of Hancock, almost horizontal thrusting can be seen in the cliffs- indicating beds sliding over the same beds. I initially was torn between classifying them as due to the latest glaciation (its surface moving southward) - shoving the older scarp to the south- or to shear from below (northward movement of the basement). Every year the thrusts become more faint, and it appears that the soft sedimentary beds and till do not show that there is significant penetration of the thrusting to the east- into the cliffs. These beds have enough strength to remain competent, but shear easily- leaving vertical cliff walls.
My main conclusion is that a wide zone of shear, caused by Coriolis rotation (see the circular dark zones on the Sound bottom) has created both Admiralty and Greenbank bays. We will hike all of these beaches again, to determine whether there are additional springs and anomalies, which bear on the analysis.
The map of Admiralty Point to Baby Island does not agree with my previous assessments found on the beach hikes (at least 10 over the years).
The first complication has to do with the time which is required to shear and leave a noticeable anomaly on the Google Earth map. In other western USA analyses, I had at least 200k years minimum time for the rotations to transpire (for the Hurricane, UT vulcanism to wax and wane- the simplest case). Whidbey Island and the latest gouges in Admiralty and Saratoga passages have been uncovered from the glaciers only 10k years or so. I see Coriolis rotation traces on the above map, but these are only part of the expected encirclement. Estimating the maximum Coriolis rotation at 5 mm/year, the movement since the glaciation would be no more than 50 meters in length. This photo demonstrates that the shear marks on the sea bottom are less affected by weathering and LIFE, compared to that on land. I expect that the deep water absorbs most of the Coriolis rotation (the water moves by tidal action, whereas land mass rotates- because it is available for Coriolis force and earth tides). We sill take informtion from all sources available, using beach observations tempered with the Google photos. Next we will hike the Greenbank and Lake Hancock beaches again, to find the latest developments.


The first reason why geologists cannot see Coriolis rotation is because of lateral shear leaving little displancement or trace in soft sediments. Note that the cliffs above show nothing but monotonous circular presentation- even though the offshore deep water exhibits a circular mark on the seafloor.
Below are remarks made for practical interpretation of the beach hike of 18 May/09 and of a Google Earth photo which allows for analysis of the dynamics of this young feature. The photo shows that there is only half of the Coriolis cell presented, and we will try to determine why the west half is obscure. The general rules I have found for all Coriolis rotations are followed for the half presented:
1. The side of the cell which has less mass rotates slower, and presents a sink due to the lag;
2. The side which has the greater mass rotates faster (F=ma) and presents an uplift. The diameter of the cell will be determined by the distance between these two contrasting entities- in this case about 3 km;
3. The presentation is circular, regardless of the diameter. Even continents are circular (note the circular configuration of CA coast or of northwest Africa), and the rate of rotation is on the order of mm/year; and,
4. The center of the cell will have a linear feature crossing the entire cell, e.g. the Hurricane fault divides a cell at the town of Hurricane, UT. In the W.I. case, there is an uplift which has springs seeping into the village of North Bluff.
Below are photos baken during previous years, showing the anomalous behavior of cliffs and faulting found about the Hancock anomaly;
Above photo shows the rise of the Esperance ss. in the low tide saddle between Baby Island and Saratoga Road, W.I. (in parallel tracks which point toward the main island and the Greenbank anomaly).
The rise and faulting shows up in a nearby bulwark as a vertical shear in the photoed wall.




The anomaly can be traced in the cliffs, where thrusts and shear faulting are photoed just south of Hancock Lake- a depression opposite an uplift, or scarp just north of the Greenbank store.


The buckling and thrusting is seen in the N-S cliffs just south of Hancock Lake, as gravel beds jammed against each other. Each year the portrait is different, due to spalling of cliffs after storms. The penetration of these obvious features into the beds to the east is scant- indicating that the shear vertically is predominant, while the lateral influence is minimum. This would be the case for curved plane vertical shearing, due to Coriolis cells rotating laterally- yielding thrusting along the vertical thrust plane. Further to the north, a house has slumped into the ravine created by the action of the fault system going from Baby Island to Ledgewood subdivision. There is a NW-SE left-lateral fault cutting through the area, as evidenced by a garage concrete slab being shifted relative to the main house slab.


THE PRINCIPAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCEAN BASIN BOTTOMS (Deep water)AND LAND MASSES IS THAT OF MASS THICKNESS DIFFERENCES ABOVE THE ASTHENOSPHERE- continents have a much greater protrusion than does the thin crust of the ocean basins (and the great depth of water evidently absorbs most of the tidal influence of the moon). I am now investigating whether the effect can be found inland in shallow bays.
Red lines refers to assessments made during beach hikes, the purple arc is found from inspection of Google Earth, and blue refers to my analysis. A scarp and accompanying sink (such as exists at Laverkin, UT at the Hurricane fault, Hf) help define a Coriolis rotation boundary and diameter of the rotating cell. For Admiralty Bay, the radius of the Hancock-Greenbank scarp cell is small- several km or so- and not likely to pertain to the larger 10k year rotation seen on the map (only a fourth of a circle is seen on the sea bottom). This Coriolis cell is not definitive for the larger view, and has evidently been obscured by the fast tides and erosion occurring in the Admiralty passage- notice that there is no evidence of shear, except for the tidal grooves. Whatever was sheared or rotated has been eliminated from view by fast currents and siltation. However, Saratoga passage (to the east), similarly to Admiralty passage, has also incurred glaciation, siltation, and scouring.

Below are photos taken in May 09, which are different from those seen in 08. Thrust faulting has diminished from three to a single thrust today. Should the penetration laterally be scant, this could easily be sloughed off yearly. When circular lateral shear works along the beach, this could result in vertical shear planes along small mass thickness east to west (the plane of shear presented vertically, N to S). Sloughing woiuld remove the shear planes yearly, allowing a new vertical plane to be presented.

Hiking the west Hancock beach, from the south near LAGOON POINT, a thrust fault can be seen in the cliffs. These thrusts have appeared for ten years, but the cliff spalling, due to storms, present a different picture each year. It appears that the penetration into the cliffs is not deep. Should there be a vertical plane of shear, N-S, this would have the fault plane along the beach, with little penetration. This would be the case for circular shear parallel to the beach (creating the cliff orientation). We will follow up on this conjecture with hikes to other anomalies found in previous years.


Photos above and below show a known fault zone, at the beach at the village of Ledgewood, W.I.,which has caused a house to slide into a canyon (at the left lateral faulted ground surface). Although displacement may be measured via a concrete slab, it is difficult to appraise in soft Quaternary sediments (ESPECIALLY IN GLACIAL TILL).
The reason why Geologists can't see this, occurs because of the nature of the shear which creates it. The shear is vertical, actng as a rotating plane (the diameter of the rotation being large enough so that the shear appears to be linear), creating vertical cliffs which are in the plane of the faulting.
Above photo is a telephoto of the preceding one.
Further south, about 2 km, the same strata may be seen to be dipping oppositely, due to undulation along the fault plane.
A new photo shows my interpretation of the entire entity:
My appraisal on the photo is based on observations of other Coriolis cells and half-cells found on the young sediments in the cliffs at Whidbey Island (for the Ledgewood fault and its effect on surrounding soft sediments and seabottom):
a. Cells are formed and react to the shear or movement created by lateral faulting, with the fault being the driving entity (THERE HAS TO BE INDEPENDANT MOVEMENT FROM ANOTHER SOURCE, FOR CORIOLIS FORCES TO OCCUR):
b. Actively-moving fault planes create reactionary cells, rotating horizontally about the vertical expresssion of the fault plane, whenever there is a difference in elevation (Crustal mass thickness) between two locations along the plane;
c. The rotation AND DIRECTION will have to be measured in the field, using information from the cliffs, and in this case thrusting of beds over each other;
d. The movement is on-going, and is incomplete (for the total circular presentation) for these sediments younger than 100k years.
MANY CORIOLIS CELLS FOUND IN THE WEST USA HAVE A CENTER LINEAR FEATURE (SUCH AS THE HURRICANE FAULT, UT), WHERE A HORIZONTAL CIRCLE IS INSCRIBED (with arcuate river valleys) ABOUT VERTICAL FAULTING OR OTHER LINEAR FEATURE).
EXAMPLE OF A CLIFF SHOWING GLACIAL INFLUENCE OF MOVEMENT: Holmes Harbor is a glacially-formed indentation in the Crust. The weight of the ice has pushed the seafloor down, and Coriolis rotation has made an arc of the bluffs surrounding bluffs associated with the previous southward linear of ice. The movement, using at most 5 mm./year can be 50 meters laterally in 10k years.


Another curiousity on Whidbey Island, is that of Double Bluff, which erodes at least 1 ft/year with the winter storms. Nevertheless, it remains- protruding westward- throughout the years. It sticks out into Admiralty passage, accepting the worst of the storms. A photo of it is shown above, so that you can see how it is moving: Notice how the cliffs shear with winter storms- vertically, oriented almost E-W (260W). This indicates that Coriolis rotation has weakened the sandstone along the rotating direction- vertically, not horizontally!

My analysis of the movement is as follows:


Below is my appraisal, which allows for rotation and jutting greater than the storms can erode the protruding cliffs of Double Bluff:

Another interesting feature on W.I. is a tombolo- near to the mapped Utsalady fault on the NE side of the island. Polnell tombolo appears to be dragged by the fault plane- which is left lateral. that is, the Coriolis circle shown on the below map should be rotating CW. However, the newest-appearing scarp lies on the north side, which would make the rotation CCW. Furthermore, the "drag" on the beach to the north of the tombolo seems to indicate CCW rotation (although the tombolo indicates opposing CW drag). We'll do further research on this, since USGS mapping infers that the fault is a normal one, not a left-lateral as has been found for most of the island's large fault systems. Investigation of the basin east of Polnell tombolo may yield more information, since USGS PP 1643 shows several splays to the local fault system near this beach and on Camano Island.
Here is the undoctored photo, so that you can interpret it: Hiking on the beach of the tombolo (July 31/09), there occur a number of interesting feastures. the first is shown below: a large E-W fracture on the east side of the prominence, which disects the tombolo.
The photo above shows that the tombolo is a separate feature compared to the rotating seabottom trace. The centerline does not align with the E-W fracture orientation for the above-ground tombolo. Their rotation evidently meshes, there being no obvious hot springs or heat produced. Photos below show how the offshore Utsalady fault trace orients to the NW- where Crescent Bay occurs.


Compare the tombolo shown on Polnell with a protrusion on the Olympic Peninsula, WA, where there is a spit nearby, with faulting influencing both entities: There is a circular underwater scarp, which is concentric with the cape jutting into the Juan de Fuca strait. The west end suggests that the incipience occurs there, and the diversion to the west of the ELWHA river valley indicates CCW rotation (REBOUND,after the Pleistocene ice age). Further, the underwater trace of the NW-SE fault system can be seen just to the west of the circular trace. Although I have not plotted the known lateral faulting,it is published in various professional papers. The LINEAR feature in the center of Coriolis cells is common- being the entity creating the movement, upon which Coriolis forces act. NOTE: CORIOLIS IS A FORCE CREATED BY SHEAR (OR STRESSING)BETWEEN ADJOINING LATITUDE LINES, WHERE THE GREATER FORCE ON THE SIDE NEXT TO THE EQUATOR ACTS on that side MORE STRONGLY, AND WHERE THE GREATER PROTRUSION OF MASS (crust) IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE VELOCITY OF ROTATION OF AFFECTED CRUST.
Other observations found on the beach hike include:
1. Layering is regular and flat on the east side of the tombolo, compared to buckling and dipping on the west side;
2. Moraines previously lying higher in elevation (and now contrasting with siltstones nearby) have marked the edge of a glacier lobe. These lie near cliffs, which have fine-grained sediments which are layered (not till or random deposits); and.
3. The picture is one of a RC, reactionary cell, which is dragged adjacent to the main Utsalady fault as it moves westward on its north side (left-lateral).
The region I will analyze next is that of Mendocino, CA, where a major transform intersects the coastline (Petrolia), and which is modified by Coriolis rotation. This is seen above in a photo with an obvious cidrcular river valley presentation near the coast. I will attempt to find slickensides or other fractures in the rocks above the rivers, to determine the roatation of the large cell.
Below is a beach photo, taken from Google Earth, near the Klamath River. This Coriolis cell is partly shown by the River pattern (from erodable fractures), and partly by the trace on bare earth. Note the shaeared groundsurface:
We will hike the beach to the south, to determine whether there are scarp indications, or whether this is just an eroded beach front.To be continued.