Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2019, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (1): 337-.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2018.12.5

Previous Articles    

Discussions on opening-closing-rotating tectonic system and its forming mechanism and on the dynamic mechanism of plate tectonics

YANG Weiran,JIANG Chunfa,ZHANG Kang,GUO Tieying   

  1. 1. Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences(Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
    2. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
    3. Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2018-08-05 Revised:2018-10-08 Online:2019-01-30 Published:2019-01-30
  • Supported by:
     

Abstract: The opening-closing tectonics can generally be explained as that the ‘opening’ refers to Earth's expansion and ‘closing’ to Earth's contraction. Viewing vertically, the centrifugal movement (from the Earth center) is opening while the centripetal movement closing; viewing horizontally, the divergent movement of Earth material means opening and the convergent movement closing. Judging from the driving mechanism, we define ‘opening’ as the upward material movement driven by thermal force (thermal energy) and ‘closing’ as the subsided material movement mainly driven by gravity (potential energy). Therefore, opening and closing are highly comprehensive concepts with broad means. Opening-closing movement is a link between all geological movements and geological sciences. Opening-closing movement behaves synchronously with unity. That is to say, vertical opening behaves as opening horizontally, and intensive vertical opening will also have intensive horizontal opening and vise versa. When the Earth was beginning to form, plenty of opening-closing tectonics were disordered. The rotational movement could rule over all materials, energies, movements, and various opening-closing tectonics of all sizes within the rotation movement, and regulate them to an orderly state. In short, the opening-closing system is a dynamic equilibrium tectonic system composed of various periods, levels and ranks of opening-closing cycles formed under long term opening-closing-rotating movement. In this paper, we summarized the composition, textural-structural characteristics and regularity of the opening-closing-rotating tectonic system of the Earth, and constructed a brief model of an opening-closing-rotating composite tectonic system. We proposed that the forming mechanism of the equilibrium system is that the opening-closing-rotating movement follows the four natural principles of evolution: the criterion of gravity equilibrium; the principle of minimum inner energy (crystallization); the criterion of growth following geometrical elimination (vertical to the Earths center); and the criterion of material homogeneous fractionation. Among them, gravity equilibrium is the controlling principle. As geological event (tectonic movement) destroys the opening-closing-rotating equilibrium system, it constantly, directly or indirectly, infuse new energy into the system, which always leads to a new tectonic cycle that runs more efficiently to make the Earth stronger and more energetic. The perpetual occurrence of geological events (tectonic movements) are the dynamic forces for the forward spiral development of the opening-closing-rotating tectonic system. Finally, we discussed the formation and evolution of the Earth and analyzed the dynamic process of plate tectonics, using the view point of opening-closing tectonics.

 

Key words: opening-closing tectonics, opening-closing-rotating tectonic system, geological events, plate tectonics, gravity equilibrium, dynamic mechanism

CLC Number: