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The role of the gravitational potential of the lithosphere in the formation of a global stress field

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Abstract

The global stress field appearing in the Earth’s lithosphere under the action of forces caused by the difference of gravitational potential is calculated. An original algorithm is proposed and the operational Earth Stresses program code is developed. The data on the topography, thickness, and density of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle, as well as the gravitational anomalies and thermal conditions in the lithosphere were taken into account in the calculations. A comparison of the calculation results and the observed data makes it possible to conclude that the action of the forces of the difference of the gravitational potential alone is sufficient to explain the features of the first order of the stress field in the Earth’s lithosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    A. I. Koptev & A. V. Ershov

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  1. A. I. Koptev
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  2. A. V. Ershov
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Correspondence to A. I. Koptev.

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Original Russian Text © A.I. Koptev, A.V. Ershov, 2010, published in Fizika Zemli, 2010, No. 12, pp. 66–81.

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Koptev, A.I., Ershov, A.V. The role of the gravitational potential of the lithosphere in the formation of a global stress field. Izv., Phys. Solid Earth 46, 1080–1094 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1069351310120050

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