Posted on 03/12/2011 6:23:38 AM PST by NYer
A massive tsunami sweeps in to engulf a residential area after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan March 11, 2011. The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars and farm buildings on fire.
Cars and destroyed homes swept by a tsunami are seen on a street after an earthquake in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture March 12, 2011. Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coast on Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.
The letters "SOS" are seen written on the ground at Minami Sanriku Elementary School, after an earthquake in Minami Sanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture March 12, 2011. Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coast on Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.
USGS Dr. Dave Applegate says the Japan earthquake ruptured a 180 mile long by 50 mile wide section of the Earth's crust.
Scientists from the United States Geological Service answered questions from the public this afternoon, with some startling revelations made.
* The first tsunami wave in Samoa was reportedly one foot tall, but the seventh wave was much larger, indicating coastal areas shoudl remain on tsunami advisory well after the first wave hits, even if that wave appears small.
* 100+ aftershocks have rated 5.0 magnitude or more in Japan since the initial shake.
* Earth's axis has reportedly shifted ten inches as a result of the quake, and Japan's coast is said to have permanently shifted 2.4 metres.
* The quake was 900 times stronger than the quake that hammered San Francisco in 1989.
* Aftershocks from the Peru earthquake of almost a year ago are still felt to this day.
* Honshu earthquake occurred on ocean floor of the Pacific plate, bumping 250 miles of coastline.
* Shaking was felt as far away as China.
* The Honshu quake was not as large as the 1964 Alaska earthquake, but was comparable to the recent Chile earthquake.
* Tsunami waves that hit California earlier today washed three onlookers out to sea. Two have been recovered.
* St Louis, Missouri media outlets report that city has moved an inch as a result of the quake.
* Waves from the ensuing tsunami reached 32 feet high.
Makes me wonder if that’s why it shifted? Arkansas has been having regular earthquakes in one spot right above Little Rock. Almost daily they’ve had them under 3.
I later saw an article with scientists saying these aftershocks were to be expected.
They said there were still aftershocks from the Chile quake a year later!
Trouble follows trouble.
I suppose as time goes by they settle down. Wonder how they can tell what’s an aftershock and what’s another earthquake?
God bless Japan!!!
Yep, they don’t like taking help either, pride. That can be both good and bad. Very self reliant, smart, polite, I like the Japanese people. God bless them!!!
They nay be able to tell from locayion, depth, wave shape or something but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s mostly a guess.
Japan is shaking like jello, take a quick look at all the “Honshu” quakes on this list since the big one:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php
Yea I’ve been looking at that. I can’t even imagine.
Thanks. I thought it would be north or northeast.
If the continents shifted 65.3 millions years ago in March, as it happened, why couldn’t they shift now and form new continents?! D’uh! It’s really about time for a serious change in the geography of the planet, doncha think? Wouldn’t you like to have Bangkok with all the hotties there in North America? Mehico far, far away from here? Canada in France? And India, where all our jobs are exported, unreachable near the North Pole?
It really does mean much to anybody unless you care about the location of things to high accuracy. It wont change weather one bit. if your a high accuracy map maker, it moves survey markers and datums. It affects the change of the length of a day by small fractions of seconds.
i meant does not mean much :)
That’s Funny....but, the moving costs might be a little high.
well, Indonesia shifted the axis 1/4 degree, now Japan shifts 1/4 degree, does that mean an aggregate 1/2 degree or did they shift in different directions for a net zero shift?
Thank you for teaching me about this! I just wondered if we were to get prepared for something drastic. I should express myself better but I don’t do it very well.
Thank you for your kind words.
I assume you’ve seen the video of the giant whirlpool?
@Marty62 Since there is still a building standing, I’m guessing this photo was taken before the tsunami hit. The waters recede at that point.
Oh I thought it looked like a marina. apparently the boats were left when the water receded.
welcome:)
It’s a conservation of angular momentum problem. you can shift the earths mass around, but angular momentum stays the same for all practical purposes. In space, the Earth spin system is nearly frictionless, but not perfectly frictionless. So in about 20,000 years, we can worry about the length of day being a minute longer than it is today. I wont be worrying about that...:)
Except that we don’t know, or I haven’t heard yet, the direction of the shift. Did it knock it to more of a tilt or less of a tilt?
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