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Literally earth-shaking, Tsunami quake shifted the North Pole, moved Newark, NJ, 1/2 inch
The Newark Star Ledger ^
| 12.31.04
Posted on 01/01/2005 9:38:48 PM PST by Coleus
Beyond killing tens of thousands and unleashing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, the twinned earthquake and tsunami that struck Southeast Asia Sunday altered the angle of the Earth on its axis, moved the North Pole, pushed walls of water throughout all the world's oceans and shifted the soil as far away as Newark, researchers are reporting.
Scientists said yesterday they are looking beyond the tragedy to try to extract meaning from an event of such magnitude. They want to learn how the Earth responds as a system to one of Nature's terrible jolts. And they wonder about the Earth's resilience.
Calculations performed by Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California show that the quake sped up the rotation of the Earth and enlarged its wobble, causing the length of a day to shrink permanently by 3 millionths of a second. It also moved the North Pole 1 inch, he found.
Researchers at the Lamont-Doherty facility in New York, part of Columbia University, have been tracking earthquakes for decades and say their instruments showed that the quake rang the Earth like a bell. Seismic waves emanated from the epicenter, like ripples moving out from a pebble thrown onto a pond surface.
Armbruster, the Lamont-Doherty seismologist, said that, though he hasn't completed his analysis, he believes the quake moved the soil in the Newark and greater metropolitan area by a half- inch. The temblor on the other side of the world pushed the ground up that far, then back down the same distance. The movement was so swift, it was not noticed by residents of the region, he said.
A well-studied 1964 quake in Alaska of a greater magnitude moved the ground in New York up 2 inches and then down 2 inches, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Technical; US: Connecticut; US: District of Columbia; US: Florida; US: Georgia; US: Maine; US: Maryland; US: Massachusetts; US: New Hampshire; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: North Carolina; US: Rhode Island; US: South Carolina; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: arctic; earthquake; geology; sumatraquake; tsunami
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To: SlowBoat407
I know exactly where we got that mistaken impression from...that old drawing of parallax being the difference between the view from the left eye and the right.
Really, the difference is that using the median allows you to do the calculations with a right triangle - which is much simpler.
121
posted on
01/02/2005 9:54:39 AM PST
by
lepton
("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
To: Coleus
People can believe anything:
"he believes the quake moved the soil in the Newark and greater metropolitan area by a half- inch. "
Where's the PROOF of this?
122
posted on
01/02/2005 9:57:01 AM PST
by
nmh
(Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
To: Coleus
Too many weasel words ...
"One of the perplexing scientific questions for Tom Herrington, a graduate professor at Stevens Institute of Technology's Center for Maritime Systems, is whether the tsunami generated by the quake will affect the underlying circulation patterns of the oceans, such as the Gulf Stream. It's possible, he said."
Anything is "POSSIBLE" . It's a speculative article with no evidence to support their latest beliefs or theories.
123
posted on
01/02/2005 9:59:42 AM PST
by
nmh
(Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
To: GSlob
I suspect it's as far AWAY as ever. ;)
124
posted on
01/02/2005 10:00:43 AM PST
by
nmh
(Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
To: lepton
I didn't get anything backwards -- annular eclipses were indeed less likely in the past when the moon was closer, and I was making the point that 250 million years ago, the amount closer that the moon was was so small that annular eclipses were possible even then.
Half a billion years ago, annular eclipses were impossible. Half a billion years from now, total eclipses will be impossible. In between, both are possible (because the moon's distance from the earth varies so much).
To: VeritatisSplendor; lepton
You are correct. I should have read your post a bit more carefully. However, lepton was right with his statement "Wouldn't annular eclipses be more likely when the moon is further (future) than closer (past)"
To: lepton; SlowBoat407
Thank you You both are most welcome. :-)
To: farmfriend
To: staytrue
There's a not-very-lady-like joke about the difference between 4 microseconds and 3 microseconds...the punchline involves the length of time it takes a drop of water to splash up out of a toilet bowl.
To: hispanarepublicana
Happy new year to you as well. Hope all is going well on your end. Life moves on at my end.
130
posted on
01/02/2005 10:53:47 AM PST
by
farmfriend
( Congratulation. You are everything we've come to expect from years of government training.)
To: pepsionice
Just point into your mind a what-if situation. What if...four massive earthquakes occured within 24 hours and the tilt of the earth went south 2 degrees? The north pole would be nearer to Cold Lake, Canada...NY would be in the prevsious climate region of Montreal...Miami would move up on the climate location of North Florida and see more freezes. It doesn't take alot to make this scenario occur.
I just barely dabble in astronomy although it is an interest of mine. I like science in general although I gravitate towards the radio-electronics side being an amateur radio operator and so on. Still, I think a couple of my "kicks in the butt" towards this interest was the Moon landing of Apollo 11 when I was 3 and my grandmother being into things like astronomy, the ancient Egyptians and so on when she was a teenager in the 1920's. Back then, I remember she told me she had a book that documentated that the Earth's Axis tilt varied throughout history from something like 21.5 to 24.5 degrees and this is one of the reasons why climate changes and why the Sahara was a desert now as opposed to being a fertile area in the past. I wish she had that book until she passed on in 1997 and if she did, I would hope she would pass it to me, sounds like it would be interesting reading.
131
posted on
01/02/2005 11:05:21 AM PST
by
Nowhere Man
(We have enough youth, how about a Fountain of Smart?)
To: RadioAstronomer
Thank you for that post.
Geologic evidence (depositional and fossil) suggests that the rotation of the earth around its axis is generally slowing. In the Cambrian, for instance, there is good evidence for a 500+/- day year.
The slowing of the earth's rotation is undoubtedly coupled with the distance of the moon from the earth. The farther away the moon is, the slower the earth's rotation. You make mention of this relationship in one of the paragraphs of your post.
To: GSlob
Born in Newark and grew up in Belleville. Heaven or Hell? Depends whether Newark moved towards of away from the oil refineries just south of Newark.
BTAIM North Jersey has always been Heaven compared to those heathens to the east across the Hudson!!
Nu Joisey rules!!
To: Rightone
The sky is falling. >>
Let me put on my hardhat.
134
posted on
01/02/2005 12:10:03 PM PST
by
Coleus
(Let us pray for the 125,000 + victims of the tsunami and the 126,000 aborted Children killed daily)
To: nmh
Where's the PROOF of this? >>
Proof, in a newspaper?
135
posted on
01/02/2005 12:17:38 PM PST
by
Coleus
(Let us pray for the 125,000 + victims of the tsunami and the 126,000 aborted Children killed daily)
To: ForGod'sSake
That is the 64 million dollar question...."Have you made plans for a natural disaster or will you be the one with your hand out after it hits" ? I moved to Florida 12 yrs ago from New Jersey and was told to keep a hurricane pantry.....HA.... I thought it was a joke... but did it anyway. It has sat there for 11 yrs and I have rotated the stock to try to keep it as fresh and updated as possible. When the first hurricane came this year we were in good shape and had food every day with enough to share with my neighbor. When the second hurricane was approaching we got in the car and left town.... we were out of canned goods and had to go. Since then I have replaced everything and have even gotten some REM's.... I guess the Boy Scouts had it right when they said "BE PREPARED".... it could mean your life.
136
posted on
01/02/2005 8:23:19 PM PST
by
RECON27
To: RadioAstronomer
Uh huh, sounds about right to me. Within tolerances at least...
Shoulda declared a no geek zone; sheesh! ;^)
FGS
137
posted on
01/02/2005 8:41:27 PM PST
by
ForGod'sSake
(ABCNNBCBS: An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly.)
To: FreedomCalls
Probably, but do not even think about your taxes being lowered!!! :)
138
posted on
01/02/2005 8:43:38 PM PST
by
DennisR
(Look around - there are countless observable hints that God exists)
To: o_zarkman44
But survival provisions should be a part of every household. Agreed; along with educating ourselves regarding potential disasters and how to prepare for them in such a way we can help others survive. Simple things like first aid, CPR, etc could be invaluable in a situation where first responders are overwhelmed.
FGS
139
posted on
01/02/2005 8:50:57 PM PST
by
ForGod'sSake
(ABCNNBCBS: An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly.)
To: RECON27
I guess the Boy Scouts had it right when they said "BE PREPARED".... it could mean your life. Indeed, and the lives of others if we're even minimally prepared to help.
FGS
140
posted on
01/02/2005 8:55:15 PM PST
by
ForGod'sSake
(ABCNNBCBS: An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly.)
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