We live on a very dynamic planet whose shape is slowly changing. Ever since the Earth was created 4.5 billion years ago, like any flywheel, its rotation has been gradually slowing, due to the tides, the solar wind, galactic space dust, etc. Throughout its life this slowing action has set up tremendous stresses in the earth’s interior and crust as its gravity and angular momentum (centrifugal force) struggled against each other.

In the earlier days when the Earth’s rotation was more rapid its stronger centrifugal force, created a much larger equatorial circumference then it has at the present time. Throughout the life of the Earth there has been a continual adjusting of the Earth's shape as the ratio of the strengths of angular momentum and gravity has changed.

As its angular momentum slowed and the centrifugal force weakened, gravity was able to change the oblate shape of the planet to a more perfect sphere, although it is still somewhat oblate. Its equatorial waistline was trimmed and the pole regions were uplifted.

This was extremely slow process, lasting the entire life of the planet. The constant struggle between gravitational force and the weakening angular momentum, caused by the Earth's slowing rotation, has had a profound effect on the Earth's geophysical activity throughout the ages.

Scientists estimate the day/night cycle slows 2.2 seconds every 100,000 years. This estimate may be too high, just 1 second every 100,000 years would put the Earth rotation at about 11.5 hours, 4.5 billion years ago. What ever it was - its angular momentum was much faster and therefore its centrifugal force was much stronger at the time causing a much more pronounced oblate shape.

In the past, when the Earth was rotating more rapidly, the bulge was much greater then the twenty-seven miles it is today. Just a 10% decrease, over the life of the planet, in the equatorial circumference would produce approximately 2400 less miles surface around the equatorial zone.

That is a lot of surface to crunch into its shrinking equatorial waistline. A lot of earthquakes and mountain uplifting, etc. had to take place over the 4.5 billion years as the planet continually adjusted to its new ever rounder shape. This process continues today. (At the present time the planet Saturn is spinning much faster then the Earth and displays this more pronounced oblate spheroid shape.)

Last week’s earthquake in south east Asia, was just another adjustment to the changing shape of the Earth that happened to take place in the ocean. The tension in the Earth’s crust may have been building up for many years (perhaps centuries?)as the centripetal force of gravity relentlessly pressured the weakening centrifugal force of the Earth’s angular momentum.

When the earthquake finally occurred, the sudden movement of the crust released the tremendous pent up energy. This caused major shock waves to be sent throughout the planet. Since the earthquake took place on the bottom of the ocean the sudden displacement of tremendous amounts of water sent waves of energy spreading out across the oceans, at more then 400 MPH, in all directions. The Tsunami was born, on its way to cause destruction to any land that it encountered.

It has been reported that some islands, in the area, have been shifted a distance from their original locations.

This event was not caused by the wrath of God, it was just the natural occurrence as the planet, once again, adjusted its continually changing shape.

Donald L. Hamilton, author of “The MIND of Mankind”

Reference: "The MIND of Mankind" Chapter 13, ISBN 0964926512 Pub. 1996
dlham@prodigy.net
http://novan.com/earth.htm

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