Japan Quake Shifted Earth's Axis!

[3113]

Only by a little, but holy shit! Oh, and it also moved Japan by about eight feet.

The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis. "At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters).

The geologist in me finds this mind-blowing to say the least.

And the interior decorator in me is wondering how this is going to affect Earth's Fung Shui

 

[slave_]

Earthquakes tend to do that.

Last year's in Chile shifted axis shortened Earth's year by 1.26 millionths of a second.

Basically, the quake 'drew in' the Earth's mass causing it to rotate faster.

I know, weird.

 

[Guest]

significance?

deleted

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Well let's see, all electronics will stop working a little sooner and compasses will have to be re calibrated. Clock faces will have to be repainted to allow for the shortening of the day. A second is just a little shorter than it used to be.

Your car won't get as many miles to the gallon, nor will horses.

About the only thing not effected will be the a women's menstrual cycle, but that was all fucked up to being with.

Then there are...well let's just say the list is endless or non-existent as it resided in the millionth of a second we lost.

 

[Owlwhisper]

.....

 

[Weird Harold]

Earthquakes tend to do that.

Last year's in Chile shifted axis shortened Earth's year by 1.26 millionths of a second.

Basically, the quake 'drew in' the Earth's mass causing it to rotate faster.

I know, weird.

This quake is calculated to have sped up the earth's rotation by 1.6 microseconds -- that's one milionths of a second. Just thiink, in just 2000 years, our clocks will be a whole second out of synch. (assuming htere are no more quakes speeding things up -- like Chile's quake, or the Boxing Day quake in 2004 which sped things up a whopping 6.8 microseconds. )

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Thinking airline fares should drop also. Hey, 13 feet less has to mean less fuel costs after all!

 

[1sickbastard]

Earthquakes tend to do that.

Last year's in Chile shifted axis shortened Earth's year by 1.26 millionths of a second.

Basically, the quake 'drew in' the Earth's mass causing it to rotate faster.

I know, weird.

Causing the earth to spin faster would shorten the day (length of time it takes the planet to complete on full rotation on it's axis) not the year (length of time it takes a planet to complete one full orbit around its star).

 

[3113]

Causing the earth to spin faster would shorten the day (length of time it takes the planet to complete on full rotation on it's axis) not the year (length of time it takes a planet to complete one full orbit around its star).

Great. So in addition to Daylight's saving's time losing me an hour, we've got this losing me more time?

 

[mynameisben]

If you maintain a list of significant influences upon Things that Matter (like agriculture, etc.), starting with number 1 being the biggest influence, and the last item being the weakest and least important, you can now add a new item to the end of your list.

Nah. I'd still rank it ahead of Charlie Sheen's recent change in employment status.

 

[Stella_Omega]

What i want to know-- Is the North Star still North?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

What i want to know-- Is the North Star still North?

For a given value of North . . .

 

[Handley_Page]

What i want to know-- Is the North Star still North?

It was when I looked last night.

 

[stephen55]

What i want to know-- Is the North Star still North?

Yes...


The Earth moved!!!
...but not by that much...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Of course, if you can wait twenty-six thousand years it won't be any more.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Is AXIS the plural of AXE? As in, I AXE A QUESTION. THE KID AXIS TOO MANY QUESTIONS.