Monday, March 14, 2011

Earthquake Relocates Island Of Japan, Shifts Earth's Axis

Japan's earthquake moved its main island 8 feet and shifted Earth's axis by 4 inches:
" "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.

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."
- Quake Moved Japan Cast 8 Feet, Shifted Earth's Axis, CNN


Images released by NASA show Japan's northeast coast before, left, and after flooding from the quake-induced tsunami.

So, this is more than the lost of coast from flooding? The whole island moved? It all makes you feel like a very small and fragile speck in the universe.
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