Model of the formation of marginal seas in the western Pacific Ocean

Abstract

A geodynamic model for the formation and movement of marginal seas in the Pacific Ocean during lateral interaction between the Eurasian and Pacific lithospheric plates is proposed. In a transition strike-slip megazone, the continental and oceanic plates disintegrate into blocks, which are involved in rotation, thus causing formation of mantle plumes and tectonospheric funnels (ascending and descending lithospheric vortexes). The implications of the model are formulated. Three scenarios of the evolution of the marginal sea basins depending on the direction of motion of the Pacific plate are discussed.