Posted on 02/22/2005 12:04:12 PM PST by nickcarraway
Sumatra quake pushed Phuket 32cm southwest and moved Bangkok: expert
Phuket shifted 32 centimetres to the south-west and Bangkok moved nine centimetres as a result of the Sumatra earthquake that caused the devastating tsunami two months ago, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer said yesterday.
Dr Itthi Trisirisattayawong, head of the Faculty of Engineerings Survey Engineering Department, said the positions of Phuket and Bangkok were measured and compared with data recorded in October.
He said the measurements were carried out using GPS (global positioning system) receivers installed at Phukets Promthep Cape and at the Faculty of Engineering.
The land position measurements were carried out as part of the Southeast Asia Mastering Environment Research with Geodetic and Space Techniques (Seamerges) project with the cooperation of Asean and the EU. The project began on January 19 last year.
The study was initially carried out only at two locations after the earthquake. Data will soon be taken at six other locations in Uttaradit, Uthai Thani, Si Sa Ket and Chumphon to get a better picture of the effects of the quake on land positions, he said.
The movement of land would have no effect on the general population, but it would have technical repercussions on certain agencies, such as the Royal Military Survey Department, he said.
The survey team took three weeks to measure the two locations as it required the use of high-precision GPS receivers and the data had to be analysed by software from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Nasa, in the United States.
He said his department would work with the Mineral Resources Department to set up five more GPS measurement stations, requiring a budget of Bt12 million.
Never had a Singha but I've had a few woman that could hum a few bars (sorry, just had to go for the joke).
Lord, my favorite beer!!!!!!!!!!!
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