The March 11, magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan may have shortened the length of each Earth day and shifted its axis. But don’t worry—you won’t notice the difference.
Using a United States Geological Survey estimate for how the fault responsible for the earthquake slipped, research scientist Richard Gross of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., applied a complex model to perform a preliminary theoretical calculation of how the Japan earthquake—the fifth largest since 1900—affected Earth’s rotation. His calculations indicate that by changing the distribution of Earth’s mass, the Japanese earthquake should have caused Earth to rotate a bit faster, shortening the length of the day by about 1.8 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).
The calculations also show the Japan quake should have shifted the position of Earth’s figure axis (the axis about which Earth’s mass is balanced) by about 17 centimeters (6.5 inches), towards 133 degrees east longitude. Earth’s figure axis should not be confused with its north-south axis; they are offset by about 10 meters (about 33 feet). This shift in Earth’s figure axis will cause Earth to wobble a bit differently as it rotates, but it will not cause a shift of Earth’s axis in space—only external forces such as the gravitational attraction of the sun, moon and planets can do that.
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Regard this
how long as it been shortened by
Great analysis….hope japan will recover soon…
the NASA people should hurry up to build some robots that could refresh the reactors .
that should be the top priority to create machine that can prevent reactors to explode . if that happen the region west of usa will be contaminated : intel / hollywood … will die of it
may be you already follow the cloud/gaz that is coming ?
Well,
it’s good to know we’re not gonna see any of those sci-fi world armaggedon scenarios 🙂
Thanks for the info.
Regarding the comment one of the others readers wrote, I’m not sure if Japan is going to be recovering very soon from this. There are some estimates that the total damages is over 100 Billion Dollars and that this generation of Japanes won’t see Japan rebuilt so fast.
Vlad Vulic
Jatheon, Canada
Our home planet The Earth is twisting & squeezing in a very systematic manner. Air in northern & southern hemisphere move in clockwise & anticlockwise motion. Also ocean current & water in ocean move clockwise & anticlockwise motion. These are due to Coriolis force. But why this same Coriolis force act on solid earth that is on lithosphere, asthenosphere, inner core. So Coriolis force must be act on whole earth that is on gases, liquid and solid. When this force act on solid earth then in northern & southern part of our planet continents must move in opposite direction that is clockwise & anticlockwise. From here a new story of creation of continents begin and there was no state of continents like PANGEA. When this thinking of Coriolis force nature is applied on our solar system giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune they are and also our home planet THE EARTH is not rotating on its axis. Then what is the nature of twisting & squeezing. All celestial objects & Universe twisting & squeezing is just like oscillation they all oscillate from confocal oblate spheroids(E) & concentric spheres(S) that is ESE oscillations. Practically this research has begin in researches of Benjamin F. Chao, Kuhn, Hill, Saldan, Liberatch, Dicke, etc…. All theses are working on variable oblateness of celestial objects. Not only this many scientists now working on variable oblateness of atoms, nuclear, nonnuclear particles. And how a new story of creations & destructions of celestial objects & Universe has established in its baby form by these scientists. Also some more scientists Dr. Gary A. Glatzmaier, P. H. Roberts & their team working on magnetic field reversal. This is a indications of beginning of a new model of oscillatory universe. A new chain also is connect when images of STEREO, SOHO & SDO prove that THE SUN is not rotating on its axis it is twisting & squeezing like a oscillations as oscillate from confocal oblate spheroids(E) & concentric spheres(S) that is ESE oscillations.
Sir first of all I think there was no PANGEA. Then how continents & ocean come in existence? The Earth is twisting & squeezing in very special manner and that method is also in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune….But much clear in Jupiter and also in Sun. Scientists are collecting the data of variable shape of celestial objects and this variable shape is defined as variable oblateness. When we add the mathematics of confocal & concentric in this variable oblateness then what is change in this variable oblateness idea. This is a very interesting beginning of oscillatory universe. Mainly the continents & oceans come in existence due to systematic twisting & squeezing of complete matter oscillations in the shape of confocal oblate spheroids and concentric spheres. Due to this slowly matter from inner part of earth come regularly on outer part and dry in plates. This dry matter plates take the form of continents and oceans. This is the main idea of making continents & oceans proving that there was no PANGEA. An another idea very interesting is that length of the day is not same in all planets of solar system it up and down regularly. Third I want to say is due to Coriolis force clockwise and anticlockwise motion of air & ocean currents in both hemispheres that make also a logic that why Coriolis force also twist & squeeze solid part of earth that is lithosphere, asthenosphere and inner core. Then the complete earth that is gaseous, liquid & solid must be twisted and squeezed by dark matter. So this idea when apply on all celestial objects and finally on universe a new theory of oscillation come before us. This method of oscillation I have shown on my face book wall-Anil Thanvi. Sir I again request please study very minutely and relatively my all animations videos. See all these with relatively with the research work on variable oblateness. Thank You.