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The shift of the earth's relationship to the sun and the planets in the solar system was recorded in the myths of most civilized cultures. Some accounts are quite specific. Plato wrote in Politicus:

"I mean the change in the rising and setting of the sun and the other heavenly bodies, how in those times they used to set in the quarter where they now rise, and used to rise where they now set ... the god at the time of the quarrel, you recall, changed all that to the present system as testimony in favour of Atreus.

This would indicate the earth STOPPED rotating or shifted it's axis of rotation to place that location in a polar orientation. This is describing a PHYSICAL change in the direction and orientation of the rotation of a planet.

Does anyone remember a little thing called INERTIA? Such a change, even spread out over a matter of days would destruct this planet to the very core, not just create a "phenomena" that they used to set in the quarter where they now rise, and used to rise where they now set , it would have the effect of a planetary paper shredder... right to the core and then some.

Hogwash... nothing more.

Mastadons, fossilized tropical fauna found in artic regions?

Hogwash too?

This would indicate the earth STOPPED rotating or shifted it's axis of rotation to place that location in a polar orientation. This is describing a PHYSICAL change in the direction and orientation of the rotation of a planet. Does anyone remember a little thing called INERTIA?

Inertia is exactly what would cause a crustal displacement if they indeed exist. Every year 260 cubic miles of ice are deposited on Antarctica. All this weight is being concentrated on the axis of the earth's spin. Due to the uneven melting or uneven breaking off of chunks of ice, there will be more weight to one side of the earth's rotation axis. Eventually enough weight will accrue to suddenly fling toward the equator where it naturally wants to go. It takes just the crust with it since the crust sits on a liquid mantle and therefore can slide. The enertia of the earth's interior does not change, since it is only the crust that moves. It's like spinning a plate on a stick...get the plate a little off-center from the stick and it'll fling off the stick.

This would indicate the earth STOPPED rotating or shifted it's axis of rotation to place that location in a polar orientation. This is describing a PHYSICAL change in the direction and orientation of the rotation of a planet. Does anyone remember a little thing called INERTIA? Such a change, even spread out over a matter of days would destruct this planet to the very core, not just create a "phenomena" that they used to set in the quarter where they now rise, and used to rise where they now set , it would have the effect of a planetary paper shredder... right to the core and then some.

I make no claims as to whether the earth has "flipped" or not. I will point out that the earth is essentially a gyroscope. Gyroscopes are interesting things. We used them when I was on the subs. By orienting them along 3 axis you can maintained a stable platform. Along with accelerometers, you can calculate where you are based on measuring the acceleration effects along those 3 axis. But occasionally a gyro will "flip" (which is why you always have at least 2 intertial platforms, because when a gyro "flips" the platform will "crash".)

In any case, I think the earth could conceivably "flip" - no inertia is lost, the earth continues to spin quite happily. However, the atmosphere will not flip with the earth, so fairly quickly you will have some high relative wind velocities. Possibly very high. In which case, you want to be able to have a nice hole in the ground to crawl into for a while.

Here is a link on some basic gyro effects and simple gyro math: THE GYROSCOPE