Tim Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Amazing but true - the recent earthquake in Chile has caused Earth's rotation to speed up, meaning that our days are shorter now! Here's an article on the subject: The earthquake that struck Chile was so powerful that it appears to have jolted Earth's axis into a new position and increased our planet's rotation speed. Calculations by a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicate the earthquake shortened the length of a day on Earth by more than one-millionth of a second. The U.S. space agency's Richard Gross used a complex mathematical model to simulate the earthquake's effect. He estimates that our days are now 0.00000126 seconds shorter than they were last week. That's 1.26 microseconds, or millionths of a second, and Gross says the change will be permanent. Earth's axis also was pushed about eight centimeters away from its normal position by the earthquake on Saturday - one centimeter more than the displacement produced by the mighty Sumatra earthquake of December 2004. The Indonesian earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 9.1, was much more powerful than the 8.8-magnitude jolt that hit southern Chile. However, Gross says the Chilean quake shook Earth's axis even more than the catastrophic shock in Indonesia that sent huge tsunamis racing across the Indian Ocean. This was because the two earthquakes' different positions on the globe, as measured in distance from the equator. Also, the fault in Earth's crust that produced the February 27 earthquake had a steeper vertical angle. Earth wobbles on its axis in response to the sudden shift of mass that occurs during a huge earthquake, and the angle of the Chilean fault intensified the effect of last week's temblor. Gross says his calculations cannot be verified, because even the most careful observation of the length of a day is not accurate below five millionths of a second. The space agency explained the scientist's work on its Web site at www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features.cfm?feature=2504 Wild stuff. By the way, you can donate to the Red Cross by texting “Chile” to 90999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyboy Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Amazing but true - the recent earthquake in Chile has caused Earth's rotation to speed up, meaning that our days are shorter now! Here's an article on the subject: Wild stuff. By the way, you can donate to the Red Cross by texting “Chile” to 90999. Tim: We don't understand that these events usually cause changes at this level. This has happened throughout history. Imagine the ability to measure tiny fractions of a second? Dannyboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Trouble Baby Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Oh Geez! Next thing you know the sky will be falling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hound_Dog Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Amazing but true - the recent earthquake in Chile has caused Earth's rotation to speed up, meaning that our days are shorter now! Here's an article on the subject: haha this article forget to mention that the 2004 quake speed up earth rotation by about 6.8ms, and make use of the word 'permanent' where it should say 'for now'. The tectonic plates move all the time.. when they move result in 'mass' being compressed below another plate we speed up, see it as an figure skater pulling in her arms in a pirouette. When it result in a mountain then earth slow down, see it as the same skater now extending her arms again. The earth is permanently doing it's dance routine, all we can do is hold on and have fun. HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mistress Kang Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 No problem- Germans are on it: Chile quake didnt shift planets axis - German scientists put Earth back on track - News - Bild.de Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted March 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 I can't remember the last time I saw the words "German" and "Axis" appear together so often. Oh wait, yes I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistress Choi Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Get spinning, boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speechless Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 I can't remember the last time I saw the words "German" and "Axis" appear together so often. Sir, I nominate you for Post of the Month! Now please excuse me while I clean the orange juice from my monitor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speechless Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Also, I would like to point out that our days get longer by 17 microseconds each year due to tidal drag, which dwarfs the effects of quakes and other tectonic disturbances. Which is great news for me, if I'm still around in 400 million years or so, since my own circadian clock insists that a day should be 26 hours long and is quite cranky every morning when confronted with the fact that this is not so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Trouble Baby Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Get spinning, boys. Mistress Choi, After we finish spinning maybe we can get six plus billion people to jump up and down simultaneously and see what happens. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hound_Dog Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Get spinning, boys. Where is Kylie Minogue when you need her. HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistress Ree Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 I can't remember the last time I saw the words "German" and "Axis" appear together so often. Oh wait, yes I can! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switch4u Posted March 13, 2010 Report Share Posted March 13, 2010 Did anyone hear of the Earth Quake in Turkey? All these natural disasters, do you think it adds credibility to 2012 or revelations? Or more so will society destroy itself or will nature have a hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistress Ree Posted March 14, 2010 Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 Did anyone hear of the Earth Quake in Turkey? All these natural disasters, do you think it adds credibility to 2012 or revelations? Or more so will society destroy itself or will nature have a hand? Society is destroying nature, and thus itself. It's impossible to pin all of these changes on a single source, because everything is crazily entangled into one huge snarl of connections. However, i think currently nature has the upper hand. Human society is a tough little cookie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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