Precessional Motions of Structural Blocks of the Earth's Crust

摘要

Instrumental observations revealed a new type of motion previously not described in the literature, the precessional motions in the structural blocks of the Earth's crust. The precession-nutation motions are caused largely by a complex response of a structural block and the adjacent tectonic structure, acting as a discontinuous zone between blocks, to tidal deformation. Irregular precession with a period of about one day complicated by the half a day period nutation defines a complex loading pattern characteristic of the internal structure of faults adjacent to the block.