A circum-earth shear zone at low-latitudes and episodic large earthquakes in it and the circum-Pacific seismic zone

Because of the differential motions between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the Earth, there exists a motion discordant zone between them. On the surface this zone consists of 13 large faults dominant with strike-slip. We call it a global shear zone at low-latitudes (E system). By statistical analysis of temporal distribution of earthquakes M w ⩾ 7.5 in the E system and the circum-Pacific (P system) during 1900–2003, we find that there exist quasi-episodic and alternative activities in and between these two systems. This phenomenon is likely associated with the half-sphere oscillation in dilation and contraction and the change of the Earth’s rotation rate.