Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis

CNN ^ | March 12, 2011 1:58 a.m. EST | By Kevin Voigt

[EternalVigilance]

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).

[vrwc1]

Actually we have NO Clue whats happening to the global climate.

What do you think is happening? Do you think the climate is warming? It's not...there has been no statistically significant warming for the last 15 years.

And how do you think we know anything about medieval temperatures?

Google is your friend...try it out.

[rahbert]

Japan uses SI units not feet.

[Cvengr]

Thanks for the info.

First time I’ve read what appears to be a plausible explanation.

[kroll]

Google is your friend...try it out.

If you mean Google scholar, then the answer is a resounding Yes. We can barely compute global mean temperatures accurately (as though that has any meaning at all because climatic variability is very very specific to geography). with all the technology we have, you think 'Medieval climate' has any meaning whatsoever? You need reliable proxies(indirect observations) for estimating temperature. Ice core data seems very promising but there is a huge problem with local biases(If you get ice core measurements that Only tells you about the polar climate, if correct).

What you are doing is very natural, since you are largely ideologically driven like all lefties, lefty scientists and many conservatives. Which means that you are ready to believe anything that supports your belief, including arcane 'research' on medieval climate estimates. I on the other hand ONLY care about the science, which says very little about AGW with any substance. If it seems at some point to me that the AGW has good science behind it, then I will support the idea, irrespective of what fellow conservatives think. Its Only about the science on this front.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you. I was just kidding.

[American Constitutionalist]

Jeremiah 2:3

3. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.

[Vanders9]

Yes it can all get a little silly can't it.

Of course, objectively it is all true. There will be an "end of days" eventually. Jesus will return at some time, but I think we are called to live each day as it comes, and to devote our energies to becoming more Christlike, rather than to look out for "endtime signs". It can be a terrible snare, for of course it has the veneer of holiness about it, but actually one can just waste the life God has given following that course.

[Crucial]

No, this is Cheney's fault. Now he's assembled an earthquake machine along with his hurricane machine.

Bwahahahaha!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

At equilibrium, the entire surface of the earth would be covered in ocean. Earthquakes are the price we pay for dry land.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The answer is, it depends. A GPS device measures your position with respect to a constellation of satellites. The orbits of the satellites is hardly affected at all by the earthquake, at least in the short term. The satellites report their locations in a coordinate frame that is very carefully referred to surveyed points on earth’s surface. If you had a military GPS with a very high resolution in a fixed base configuration on a Japanese island, there is no doubt that your coordinates would change. With respect to GPS coordinates, just about every point in Japan moved about eight feet. For best accuracy, all your GPS maps of Japan need to be updated.

The displacement of the earth’s rotational axis would also effect all users of GPS as well, though the satellites get daily updates from ground, so for users not otherwise affected by the earthquake, the difference will be neglible.

The earth’s magnetic field is tied more strongly to its core than surface, so basically, magnetic headings will not change, except in Japan a compass needle will exhibit the same change in deflection it would if it had been moved eight feet.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks EternalVigilance.

• Japan earthquake factbox: Entire Japan coast shifted 2.4 metres, earth axis moves ten inches

Just adding, not pinging.

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[AmericaUnite]

I stand by what Jesus said. No one said it was easy to follow.

[The_Reader_David]

Presumably it’s relative to the orbital plane, and the linear displacement represents the displacement of the north (our south) pole. It would have been more meaningful to give an angle through which the axis was displaced, but the tiny angle (about 9 ten-millionths of a degree if my quick calculation was right) wouldn’t have evoked a “wow” reaction in readers.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"The devil you say?"

Yes we can, Thank You Satan 1:50

[Christian Engineer Mass]

yes GPS shows it. In chile if you have GPS in the town nearest the earthquake, it shows you several metres from where you are

[pastorbillrandles]

Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 2And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.(Isaiah 24) 4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

[EternalVigilance]

Perfect.

[The Ignorant Fisherman]

it is on!

[RaceBannon]

Jesus doesn’t need my picture, He is living in my Heart.

However, my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.

You should not mock something as this.

[American Constitutionalist]

yes, Jesus said for " US " to love our enemies, but ? God also protects and watches over his people.
Those who bless his people will be blessed, and those who curse his people or harm them will face God's wrath.