A one-dimensional, hybrid simulation code is used to study current sheets with a nonzero normal magnetic field Bz and a dawn-to-dusk electric field Ey . Such configurations are dependent upon only two parameters: we use the normalized normal magnetic field Bˆz=Bz(4&pgr;nbv2T)1/2 and normalized electric field vˆD=(1/vT)(cEy/Bz), where vT is the thermal velocity of ions prior to their interaction with the current sheet and nb is the number density outside the current sheet (at the simulation boundary). A third parameter that is relevant to the motion of particles in current sheets is &kgr;A , the value of &kgr;=(Rmin/&rgr;max)1/2 for particles of average energy. We find that if either Bˆz is close to or greater than 1, or if &kgr;A is close to 1, a rotational mode develops in which the z=0 current rotates with the ion sense about the normal magnetic field, while for small values of both Bˆz or &kgr;A , the configuration is quasi-steady. To achieve values of &kgr;A of the order of or larger than 1, we decrease the value of vˆD uniformly. We find that the magnetic field fluctuations and particle distribution functions are similar in many respects to what was observed in the day 240, 1986, AMPTE/CCE current disruption event (Takahashi et al., 1987), an event that appears to be located at the site of initiation of current disruption and related particle energization (Lui et al., 1992). ¿ American Geophysical Union 1993