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

[ensho]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.earthquake.tsunami.earth/index.html?hpt=T1


-snip-

"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).

-snip-
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wow

[LiberalFighter]

1. All of the Japanese coast or just one side?

Or did it shift from E to W or W to E maintaining the same land mass? Or did the 8 feet shift reduce their land mass?

[Graybeard]

4. The way I heard it reported was...

... " the island of Japan is now 8 feet further East than it was before the quake."

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Counterintuitive.

No "give" without "take".

If the pacific is 8 feet wider, then either the atlantic should be 8 feet smaller or the earth grew 8 feet in circumference.

If only Japan the island shifted, then the Sea of Japan should be smaller.

[Motown_Johnny]

5. .

I am going to guess it was a W/E or a N/S shift where one side of the fault moved 8 feet relative to the other side of the fault (but I could easily be wrong).

[Historic NY]

2. A few more axis shifts & were all in trouble.

[loudsue]

3. No shit. We're getting a little wobbly anyway.

But I get the feeling this won't be the last of it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Any chance that any of this will self-correct?

Or are we moving in the wrong direction where the polar caps will alternate and we'll find ourselves moving too far or too close to the sun?

[slackmaster]

8. THEY'RE COMING RIGHT AT US!

[grasswire]

9. an expert on CNN last night said the earth is now spinning faster

....and so our days are a bit shorter than before the quake. I thought that was fascinating, if a bit scary because I don't know the implications.

[ensho]

10. kicking

nt