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THE MOVING CRUST? Two rather curious pieces of evidence suggest that the Earth's crust may be in motion. We have two observations of a shift of the north pole with reference to the Earth's surface. The first observation is cited by Deutsch" on the authority of Munk and MacDonald. It suggests that the north pole moved 10 feet in the direction of Greenland, along the meridian of 45° West longitude, during the period from 1900 to 1960. According to Deutsch, this would indicate a rate of six centimetres (about 2.5 inches) per year. The other finding, cited by Markowitz'* and based on older data, suggests the pole shifted about 20 feet between 1900 and 1968, along the meridian of 65° West longitude, and that it is now moving at arate of about 10 centimetres (four inches) yearly. The difference between the two longitudes may not be particu- larly significant, as the angular difference so near the pole is small, but the difference in the two rates of motion may be very important. First, it must be noted that a speed of 10 centimetres yearly is two or three times the maximum speed usually estimated for sub- crustal convection currents. This appears to imply that the dis- placement indicated as now occurring is not powered by convec- tion currents. Another mechanism may be at work. The second point, possibly even more interesting than the first, is that if both these observations were accurate—as we have every right to expect in view of the eminence of the investigators—then here we may have evidence of a geometrical acceleration of the rate of motion. If the pole shifted 10 feet between 1900 and 1960, but 20 feet between 1900 and 1968, then it moved 10 feet in only eight years, suggesting acceleration by a factor of about eight. increase in deserts which reflect into space 30 per cent of the solar energy they receive, further chilling the Earth; an alarming increase in forest fires worldwide,’ which, among combustion products, put more CO> into the atmosphere, supplying the mois- ture to build more and more ice—which reflects 80 to 90 per cent of solar energy into space. In 1966, 444 billion tons of ice were added to the interior of the south pole's ice mass.* Should this rate of growth simply have remained constant in the last 14 years, it would mean that, by 1980, six trillion tons were added to the already off-canter ice-cap deposit? In 1970 the ice-cap's centre of gravity was 345 miles from the polar axis." The huge weight of the ice-cap has depressed the ground below sea level in many places so that much of it is lying on slippery bedrock." Meltwater penetrating the cracks and crevices of the ice sheet may also serve as a lubricant.” The underlayer, or asthenosphere, below the Earth's crust would also act as a lubricant because its rocks are too hot to crystallise."* Campbell compared this asthenospheric movement to the motion of ice floes: "Observe how vast fields of ice are started in motion just by the friction of the wind on the surface of the ice... Again, you will see the same thing by visiting a pond where they are cutting ice. You will see men pushing around blocks of ice of three or four hun- dred square feet with the greatest ease as long as the ice is floating on the water..." Because of the above developments, I believe we might safely infer that the south pole's ice mass may not be one of the most sta- ble geological constructions on Earth. But has it already begun moving? CONVENTIONAL TYPE OF WEDGE lan -) (ONE HALF REVERSED | WEDGE SPLIT | a Q=Px5 rd a South Pole Ice-Cap Faulting Pressure 3.4588 x 10 7.5 x 10" short tons North Pole constant pull 26 - NEXUS The mechanical principles of the wedge, from Path of the Pole, ©1970 by Charles H. Hapgood. Reprinted by permission of the author. DECEMBER 1997 - JANUARY 1998