CompuServe Messages

Hi, Kamron– >> Your only out is that Antarctica is not in motion and the Mid Ocean Ridge is expanding around it. I dimly recall a mention that that is roughly what is happening. I have spoken of Antarctica moving away from Australia and sideways past Africa, but that is only one relative viewpoint chosen for convenience; I described it as seen by an observer in Australia. From the viewpoint of Antarctica, I expect it is a case of ridges moving themselves away from Antarctica, primarily toward Australia, and minimally if at all toward Africa. Australia's northward motion is clearly taken up by the Java and Hebrides trenches. I am fuzzy on where the fastest spreading on the other side is; I will go on a buying spree on my return to Calif., and high on the list is a globe (right after my nervous breakdown; see my message to Lanny), very preferably one with seafloor relief. (Anyone know a good place to look?) Don't expect overly well-thought answers from me until then… I described earlier about how a pair of ridges with no subduction between would move away from each other (I was talking about northeast/southwest of Africa). Antarctica seems to me to be a rough compromise between that one-dimensional scenario and its two-dimensional extension: draw a ring of spreading ridges, pull from the outside in all directions, and the central enclosed region will grow in all directions. Or maybe it is a three-direction pull, or some variation on that theme. I am still trying to figure what you mean by "bowing". Is it the angling of the transform faults relative to the spreading ridges, or what? –Doug