The foregoing leads us to some general conclusions concerning deformations of the Earth's crust in the two main directions, latitudinal and meridional (that is, perpendicular to and parallel to the rotational axis of the Earth).
The data presented indicate that a single latitudinal zonality of the Earth exists, applying equally well to the outer gaseous and liquid envelopes and also to the interior of the planet, almost down to the core. Analogously, series of meridional dislocations exist, also beginning from the outer gaseous and liquid envelopes and continuing almost to the Earth's core. Here we contrast the latitudinal zonality with the meridional division into series.
Consequently, it may be assumed that the symmetry features of our planet which are related to its gravitational field will show up in the gaseous and liquid envelopes of the Earth as well in its solid body, and that these envelopes will definitely have the same symmetry. The atmos phere and hydrosphere are not just air and water, but are aggregates of air and water which are symmetrically constructed in a definite way. Thus, in a way, they constitute liquid and gaseous crystals. In one of his earlier works (1907) Vul'f referred to the terrestrial spheroid as a body possessing a known sym metry. The ocean and the troposphere, moreover, are characterized by this same symmetry. Such is the effect of the gravitational forces under the conditions of terrestrial rotation. That this is the case has already been noted by Usmanov in his reports and articles on meteorology and oceanography.
The symmetry so characteristic of our entire planet is observed in the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Pierre Curie considered symmetry as "a state of the medium in which a given phenomenon takes place". Curie called upon scientists to account for not only the state of the medium but also the state of motion of the given object, as well as the physical factors acting upon it. In our case the motion of the object is its rotation, while the main factor acting upon it is gravity. "The symmetry of the surround ing medium appears to leave an impression upon an object forming in it", states Shafranovskii (1960). For the Earth, the surrounding medium is its gravitational field.
This article began by referring to the book "The Natural Water of the Earth and the Lithosphere", in which it is stated that orogenesis is part of a process of re-formation of the body of the planet. We have explained
essentially what this re-formation is during the course of the article, and we have indicated the role played by subcrustal tangential movements in producing mountainous upheavals at the critical meridians and parallels. In the last chapter of the book (pp. 151 ff.), the author states that orogenic processes are explained by the action of the oceans on the continents through the agency of the tidal waves of water. "The natural water of the Earth, therefore, provides a key which can be used to solve the problem of tectogenesis, a problem which cannot be separated from the rotation of the planet". The book goes on to say that "orogenesis is a result of the action of the oceanic tides upon the solid crust of the Earth, via their action upon the continents".
It might be said at this point that we have been guilty of a direct contra diction in our theory. In one place it was stated that dislocations and deformations of the Earth's crust result from the interaction of the terrestrial envelopes, whereas in another place these same deformations are ascribed to the effect of the oceans upon the continents. I shall try to show that no contradiction exists here, and that we have to do just with an approach toward a more specific definition of the concept during the course of its development.
The following must be kept in mind. The hydrosphere and lithosphere are arbitrarily considered to be two different envelopes of the Earth. In reality, however, taken together they constitute parts of a single envelope. The hydrosphere and lithosphere are completely indissoluble, since it is only together that they form the surface of a given level of the terrestrial ellipsoid. If we were to remove the water from this ellipsoid, the ellipsoid would cease to exist at the given level. Moreover, to remove the rock (that is, the lithosphere) instead of the water (that is, the hydrosphere) is completely impossible. Obviously, here we are dealing essentially with parts of a single antipodal structure, and these parts are indivisible; between them an interaction is inevitable. Thus, in addition to what was expressed earlier on this subject, I should now add the following: t he interaction of the hydrosphere and lithosphere within the limits of a given level of the ellipsoid is a deter mining factor constituting a basis for the interaction relating all the envelopes.