The Dynamic Impact of Ocean on Continent

作     者：Yongfeng Yang Yongfeng Yang

作者机构：Water Resources Comprehensive Development Center Bureau of Water Resources of Shandong Province Jinan China 

出 版 物：《International Journal of Geosciences》 (地球科学国际期刊（英文）)

年 卷 期：2024年第15卷第9期

页      面：698-719页

学科分类：070801[理学-固体地球物理学] 07[理学] 0708[理学-地球物理学] 

主　　题：Ocean Water Pressure Force Continent Ocean-Continent Interaction Stress Earthquake Plate Motion 

摘      要：Around 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans with depths that exceed several kilometers, while continents are geographically enclosed by these vast bodies of water. The principle of fluid mechanics stipulates that water yields pressure everywhere in the container that holds it, and the water pressure against the wall of container generates force. Ocean basins are naturally gigantic containers of water, in which continents form the walls of the containers. In this study, we present that the ocean water pressure against the walls of continents generates enormous force, and determine the distribution of this force around continents and estimate its amplitude to be of the order of 1017 N per kilometer of continent width. Our modelling suggests that the stresses yielded by this force are mostly concentrated on the upper part of the continental crust, and their magnitudes reach up to 2.0 - 6.0 MPa. Our results suggest that the force may have significantly impacted the dynamics of continent (lithospheric plate) and its evolution.