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At first sight, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans look different, but at equator they are geologically identical. Both cover 60° along the equatorial line, and both have a mid-ocean ridge as a central point.

Let us start with the Amazon Estuary, a point exactly on the equatorial line. The flow of water is of geological scale, and the annual isostatically vertical movement is measured to be 8 centimeters a year. It is understandable that this water flow does search out a weakness of the crust for reaching out to the ocean. 30° farther east, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge crosses the equator line, being almost aligned directly east-west over considerable distance. Then the ridge makes a sharp turn towards the south, and keeps that alignment within the south hemisphere. 30° farther east, we find the African West Coast, at the coastal line which most clearly appeared as a jigsaw puzzle line fitting to the coast of S-America. Then, 30° farther east, the Great Rift Valley of Africa is clearly found above some main division underneath, pulling the ground, bringing geothermal and volcanic activity to the surface. Then, 30° farther east, the Central Indian Ridge crosses the equatorial line, and at the same spot makes a turn directly southwards, in a similar way as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Then, 30° farther east, does the Sumatran Subduction Zone cross the equatorial line. It is a coastal point as well, at the small islands found close to the coast of Sumatra.

Comparing the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean does therefore make some sense. The tectonic drift is constantly altering the appearance of the oceans and continents, and comparing the Amazon Estuary with the Great Rift Valley, the Central Indian Ridge with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the African West Coast with the Sumatran Subduction Zone, might sound absurd at first, but these are all spots found 30° away from each other along the most prominent single line on Earth -equator.

Some information can be found here: Amazon – https://www.scielo.br/j/bjgeo/a/JMM96kwnm8NwRpjMbgbrsYD/?lang=en, Great Rift Valley – https://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916442/Centricity/Domain/1803/Great%20Rift%20Valley.pdf

Fagradalsfjall and Surtsey are tuyas, and the eruptions and magma composition are different from all other eruptions which have occurred in Iceland recently. This time it could be studied thoroughly at Fagradalsfjall, how relatively primitive magma rose from mantle to surface. But for me it was intriguing that the two spots, where magma rose up from down below to form a dyke feeding the volcanic sites, are at exactly parallel locations according to the convection rolls model. The two red spots roughly indicate the two locations:

The dykes formed are heavier than the surrounding rock, and therefore each eruption adds to the average specific weight of rock within a given area. The eruptions took place in line with the V-shaped ridges, which are gravity anomalies, aligned askew compared with the tectonic drift creating magnetic anomalies rather uniformly at each side of the Reykjanes Ridge. The formation of V-shaped ridges, not found in conformity with tectonic drift, is poorly understood. But they can be explained referring to these two eruptions. On the Reykjanes Peninsula, earthquake faults are found in a swayed pattern approaching the Reykjanes Ridge in the same way as the V-shaped ridges. These earthquake faults also create the final weakness the magma makes use of to make it up through the crust. As the dykes add to specific gravity, and the V-shaped ridges are gravity anomalies, and the formation of the faults coincides with the V-shaped ridges, I really would like to suggest that V-shaped ridges are actually a manifestation of a row of magma filled faults. It is really a temptation here to add quod erat demonstrandum. The dykes are also stronger than the surroundings, and should add to the local height of the sea bottom, withstanding erosion better than ordinary lava.

The symmetry of Iceland compared to the Reykjanes Ridge, V-shaped ridges is culminated by the elliptical plateau on which the country is located. The theoretical continuation of the Reykjanes ridge does cross the exact central point of the elliptical plateau, as it can be traced mathematically. Therefore, a similar mechanism at both sides of the Reykjanes Ridge can be expected, leading to parallel formations at both sides of it.

Talking about symmetry, it is facinating how those two eruptions occur geologically almost simultaneously, resembling each other so closely. The polygon of the Vestmanna Islands and Reykjanes Peninsula must have an identical pattern of earthquake faults. This should be detectable, and is therefore a theory that can be tested.

The idea that V-shaped ridges are correlated with volcanic zones is not new, though, as described in this paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228737092_Propagating_rift_model_for_the_V-shaped_ridges_south_of_Iceland

When GPS was used to measure tectonic drift, the tectonic equator appeared.

This tectonic equator, as described by the GPS Nasa database, does cross the rotational equator at two locations, and the most intriguing point is at the Great Rift Valley of Africa. The alignment of the tectonic equator follows that of the convection rolls, being about N65°W. The two equatorial lines of rotation and tectonics then cross each other again 120° farther to the east in the Pacific Ocean.

The southern half of the tectonic equator covers 240°, twice that of the northern half, mainly because its curvature is enlongated over the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rise fits into that pattern, being the starting point of the Pacific Plate, extending over to the Asian coast.

One aspect of the tectonic equator is the fact that it reaches the limits of 32°N and 32°S. The latitudes of 32° include the central points of the mathematically circular shape of the convection rolls, and therefore the alignment there is exactly N-S. All of this follows the mathematics of the sphere, or more precisely, the geoid.

What is not considered here in context with the tectonic equator, is the rotation of North America. It rotates in a similar way as the African-Eurasian complex, but with a smaller radius, apparently only equivalent to 90° along equator, not 120°.

I can point out this consistency, the exact driving mechanism of convection rolls leading to the tectonic drift is a bit complex to derive and explain. But with the Convection Rolls Model derived and the exact information about tectonic drift vectors, the functions can easily be modelled and understood. The same consistency between convection rolls alignment and tectonic drift vectors is found in NW and NE Iceland, indicating the functionality of convection rolls at these locations.

This crack was measured to be 10 meters deep shortly after the large earthquake of Southern Lowlands in Iceland, June 21 in the year 2000, measured to be 6.6 on Richter scale.

The picture is taken just south of road number 1, towards the shouth. The fault is right-lateral, so if you would have stood at the side of the moving fault, the other side would have been seen to move to the right hand side.

The side of Ingólfsfjall seen above is actually marked by an earthquake fault, oriented directly N-S. This is just south of 64°N, the central latitude of the South Iceland Seismic Zone. The faults themselves are all parallel, with the average distance of 715 meters in between them.

The South Iceland Seismic Zone reveals the convection rolls, because it extends exactly over one roll from west to east, that is from the town Hveragerði to Hekla Volcano.

Perhaps some people have noticed that Italy and New Zealand have the same latitude, in the north and south hemisphere though. The center of the countries is found at 42°N and 42°S, respectively. It is not a joke, but a fact, that the shapes of both countries resemble a shoe, and the distance from 42° to the heel of the two shoes is the same. Then I can tell you a joke: I have found those two countries to be a geological pair of shoes! Those shoes are namely approximately identical, just as should be expected from a single pair. The comparison can be further extended by the fact that those two shoes of one pair are the mirror image of each other. Therefore, I present the mirror image of New Zealand for everyone to appreciate how similar the shapes of those countries really are. It would probably not sound so interesting if it was the only similarity, but as mentioned before, the central points are at the same latitude N and S, and the proportions as measured from there are the same. Both countries have volcanoes close to the ‘toe’, in a mirrored way though. Moreover, the two countries are aligned similarly, but again, you have to remember that they are mirrored, so the aligment effect of North Italy applies to the opposite end of the shoe shape of New Zealand. OK, if you do not follow me any more, please remember it can hard to understand geology jokes.

The alignment of both countries follow the formula α = (arc tan {[(35.34² – (ϕ – 32)²) ^0.5  / (ϕ – 32)](1/cos ϕ)})/2 where α is found in the mathematical way as compared with x-axis, that is latitudinal axis. It is thereby found to be approximately E39°N at the latitude ϕ=42°N for Italy. Then we can calculate the mirrored result for New Zealand, being W39°S at the latitude ϕ=42°S 🙂 Then you can calculate the value for other latitudes.

For a map of Italy: http://www.explorevolcanoes.com/Stromboli-volcano-italy.html

For a map of New Zealand:https://geologictimepics.com/2018/02/24/sampling-new-zealands-amazing-geology/