Abstract:

All Earth materials and processes perform opening and closing movements. The thermally (heat energy) driven upward movement can be defined as opening, while the gravity (potential) driven downward movement can be defined as closing. The overall opening-closing movement achieves synchronized unity and interdependency between vertical and horizontal movements through mutual opposition and transformation. So that, under rotational control and modulation, this movement transforms all Earth materials, tectonics, energies, etc. from the state of disorder to order, and eventually builds up the dynamically stable and balanced opening-closing-rotating tectonic system. Therefore, studying the unceasing cyclic evolution of formation, destruction and renovation of this dynamically stable and balanced tectonic system is the only basis and effective way for understanding the working of the Earth’s interior. For that, we delineated eight vertical and one crustal (spherical) opening-closing tectonic cycles, and preliminarily established a 4-dimensional working system of the Earth. The dynamically stable and balanced system is established through long-term working of the four natural laws, i.e., gravity balance, internal energy minimization (in crystallization), preferential growth orientation (normal to the Earth’s center) and horizontal homogeneity, among which gravity balance is the leading law. At about 4 Ga, mantle lithosphere was formed as a lid covering the hot Earth. This event initiated the stable opening-closing-rotating tectonic system and entered the Earth into a prolonged dynamically stable and balanced evolutionary era. After that, each major geological event (loss of balance) had been either poking a hole into or tearing up the lithosphere, thus destructing Earth’s balance. But the rotating and opening-closing movements could quickly restore the balance and start a new cycle. Till now the Earth has passed through eight megacycles. Since plate tectonics only concerned with the destruction and restoration of the most recent four megacycles in developing its theory, it has limitations of time and space and cannot be called “global tectonics”.Earth is a living body. Its operating system—the inner structure and function—is rather perfect: the opening, closing, rotating and unbalancing movements form the movement system; its “blood” system comprises geofluid acting as “blood”, the Earth’s nucleus functioning as “heart” for “blood” supply and storage, and mantle plumes for channeling “blood”. And under the gravity balance criteria, four gravity balancing surfaces, four opening-closing transforming zones and two mass balancing lines on the sphere make up the Earth’s dynamic equilibrium system.Because transformation between “opening” and “closing” happens spontaneously and is self-adjusting, it can be the main motivator for the working of the Earth’s interior. In addition, external energy input can also be utilized by the mutual transforming mechanism of opening and closing. Therefore, under the control of the rotating movement, interdependency, mutual opposition and transformation of the opening and closing movements are the major motivator for and basic dynamic mechanism of Earth’s interior working system.

Key words: global tectonics, opening-closing tectonics, plate tectonics, working of Earth’s interior, heat energy, potential energy, rotating energy