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Old 02-17-2013, 12:10 AM   #7 (permalink)
NeilBlanchard
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No, the tectonic plates are a symptom, like sea level. The earth's rotation makes it into an oblate spheroid (rather than a pure sphere) and the Antarctic ice is so massive, that it not only presses the land underneath it down by almost a HALF A MILE - but it also increases the gravitational pull, and this is what pulls the bulge from the rotation southward.

And yes, underwater topography also affects the sea level. But additional gravity of mountains and land ice pull the sea level up around them. Greenland and other large masses of land ice affect the sea level near them, too, along with Antarctica. Another cause of sea level variability is the temperature of the water - warmer water is less dense and it expands, while maintaining the same weight.

Can you imagine what will happen to the tectonic plates if the land ice melts? And expanded sea water spreads out, so it is likely to also affect the tectonic plates.
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