Pulsation of tectonic phenomena and tectonophysical mechanisms

At present, it is believed that the main tectonic phenomena result from progressive displacements of a small number of rigid plates which form the crust of the Earth. If the plates separate, a rift (of oceanic type) will open; and, if they approach, compression will shorten the crust and form eventually a mountain chain. Both rifting and compression produce earthquakes at the plate borders, and the seismic activity must depict the rate of movement of the plates. There is some indication that this seismic activity occurs in pulses with a period of about 11 years, rifting probably alternating with compression. For long lasting monotonic plate movements, thermal convection and radioactive undations could be adequate causes; but, for these short-period alternating phenomena, gravitational pulsations are considered the best available mechanism. Gravitational pulsations seem to be a necessary consequence of General Relativity, when applied to a convenient cosmological model.