Gravitational mapping of the GROCE satellite project -- Strange Coincidences

[dom_quixote]

The gravitational mapping of the GROCE satellite projects to the left - at sea level - a rough outline formed by the Nordic countries, Finland and part of Russia.

The same goes for Australia.

 

[Baluncore]

... projects to the left - at sea level - a rough outline formed by the Nordic countries, Finland and part of Russia.

How far to the left?
Scandinavia and the Baltic are still rising after the melting of the icesheet from the last glaciation.
The red area is the mid-Atlantic ridge, where the ocean is spreading.

Do you have a link to the maps?

 

[dom_quixote]

Thanks Baluncore!
I found a better resolution photo on the net:

I circled the areas of interest.

The references are these:

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Ob...GOCE_giving_new_insights_into_Earth_s_gravity
https://www.universetoday.com/67435/earths-gravity-seen-in-hd/

 

[Baluncore]

It is your eye and your brain that naturally look for patterns, and will always find some. Unfortunately, there is no direct relationship between the areas you circle. The underlying structure causes the variation in gravity. That structure is connected to plate tectonics and continental drift. It would not surprise me if you go on to study geophysics.

There is a map here that shows the age of the Earth's crust. As you can see, the areas you circle are not actually related or connected. They do not map onto each other, they just look to you like they might. They may have been adjacent at one time, like puzzle pieces.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafloor_spreading

The coasts of Africa and South America are matched in shape because the Atlantic Ocean has widened. That is shown by the ages of the crust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-ocean_ridge#Morphology

The Earth has stretch marks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-o...en-Tharp_World_ocean_floor_map_by_Berann).jpg

When I was eight, I told my teacher that Africa and America used to be joined together. She told me not to be silly, they are too big to move. Three years later, the Atlantic seafloor spreading was discovered by recognising the symmetrical magnetic patterns either side of the mid-ocean ridge. Ten years after that, I was studying tectonics at university.

Keep looking for patterns, but look for the underlying relationships that will show how they might be related or connected.

 

[dom_quixote]

It is your eye and your brain that naturally look for patterns, and will always find some. Unfortunately, there is no direct relationship between the areas you circle. The underlying structure causes the variation in gravity. That structure is connected to plate tectonics and continental drift. It would not surprise me if you go on to study geophysics.

There is a map here that shows the age of the Earth's crust. As you can see, the areas you circle are not actually related or connected. They do not map onto each other, they just look to you like they might. They may have been adjacent at one time, like puzzle pieces.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafloor_spreading

The coasts of Africa and South America are matched in shape because the Atlantic Ocean has widened. That is shown by the ages of the crust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-ocean_ridge#Morphology

The Earth has stretch marks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-o...en-Tharp_World_ocean_floor_map_by_Berann).jpg

When I was eight, I told my teacher that Africa and America used to be joined together. She told me not to be silly, they are too big to move. Three years later, the Atlantic seafloor spreading was discovered by recognising the symmetrical magnetic patterns either side of the mid-ocean ridge. Ten years after that, I was studying tectonics at university.

Keep looking for patterns, but look for the underlying relationships that will show how they might be related or connected.

Fascinating!
Thanks for the lesson and the links.