Gravity is indeed the driving force for fault pattern formation and westward displacement of the lithosphere

Abstract

Gravity influence of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth is the cause of the fault pattern on Earth's surface we observe nowadays and also of the westward displacement of the lithosphere. A somewhat related hypotheses advanced in the past have been that tidal torque of the Moon may be significant. However, it has been argued that it is untenable essentially on the grounds that the viscosity of the Earth's mantle is far too high in comparison with the forces involved. To state this it was assumed that the Earth's relevant characteristic is that of two spherical shells separated by a viscous liquid, the external shell rotating at a constant angular velocity with respect to the inner shell. Here I show that this picture is not quite right and that a more careful look leads us to one in which both shells rotates at different mean angular velocities and with a forward-backward sequence of movements relative to each other. In this way what was supposed to be the principal factor against gravity influence becomes the main favourable one.