Seismic anomalies and the dynamic evolution of the Earth's crust and upper mantle

Abstract

The seismic activity of the Earth suggests that the crust is in a dynamic condition. A number of major regularities in the seismic energy release in major provinces on the Earth may be explained by the fact that each continent is uniquely dynamic and mobile. The American continent (especially South America) is more inclined to react to changes of external (cosmic) forces, which intensifies its greater mobility. Relative to this point, in the last quarter of the century (1940–1964) three-fourths of all earthquake energy was released when the position of the Moon was over the northern hemisphere of the Earth (at the northern apparent declination of the Moon). This positional relationship pertains to the seismic foci of the northern, as well as the southern hemispheres. Thus the position of the Moon in its orbit is primarily related to the seismicity of the American continent, which released more than 82% of global earthquake energy of magnitude M ⩾ 8.4 during the northern lunar declination. Different degrees of reaction of individual continents to extraterrestrial influences do not agree with the idea of the constancy of the continents. However the mobility of continents, each of which reveals unequal dynamicity, is thought to be a direct consequence of the effect of cosmic forces.