Friday, March 11, 2011

Last Generation Report: Japan's quake shifts earth's axis by 25 centimetres (CONFIRMED)

Japan's quake shifts earth's axis by 25 centimetres

 
 
 
 
 
A seismologist points to a seismographic graph showing the magnitude of the earthquake in Japan on a monitor at the British Geological Survey office in Edinburgh, Scotland.
 

A seismologist points to a seismographic graph showing the magnitude of the earthquake in Japan on a monitor at the British Geological Survey office in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Photograph by: David Moir, Reuters

Initial results out of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology show that the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled Japan Friday shifted the earth's rotation axis by about 25 centimetres.

 

INGV's report, which came hours after the devastating incident, is equivalent to "very, very tiny" changes that won't be seen for centuries, though, Canadian geologists say.

 

Only after centuries would a second be lost as each day is shortened by a millionth of a second, according to University of Toronto geology professor Andrew Miall.

 

"Ten inches sounds like quite a lot when you hold a ruler in front of you. But if you think of it in terms of the earth as a whole, it's absolutely tiny; it's minute," he said.

 

"It's going to make minute changes to the length of a day. It could make very, very tiny changes to the tilt of the earth, which affects the seasons, but these effects are so small, it'd take very precise satellite navigation to pick it up."

 

The earth's rotation will now shift at a different speed because the globe's mass has been redistributed, said Michael Bostock, a University of B.C. earthquake seismology professor.

 

He used an analogy of a figure skater pulling in his or her arms to spin faster because weight has been reorganized.

 

"Ultimately, if you change the length of day, you can change the length of time a given point on earth receives sunlight and doesn't receive sunlight," he said. "But will this affect us in our lifetimes? Absolutely not."

 

The researchers said that while the minuscule change may be completely undetectable, it still illustrates the punch behind the Japan's massive earthquake.

 

Last year, NASA reported that a 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Chile shorted the day by 1.26 millionths of a second, according to computer-model calculations.

 

NASA had estimated that the Chilean earthquake shifted the globe's axis by about 10 centimetres, National Geographic reported at the time.

 

INGV, which is Europe's largest research institute to monitor geophysics, said the impact of Friday's event was "much greater" than 2004's notorious Sumatra earthquake, which clocked in at a magnitude of 9.1.

 

cchai@postmedia.com

 

Twitter.com/Carmen_Chai



Read more:http://www.canada.com/news/Japan+quake+shifts+earth+axis+centimetres/4426356/story.html#ixzz1GKwatuXb

Last Generation Report: "Entire Japan coast shifted 2.4 metres, earth axis moves ten inches & earthquake ruptured a 180 mile long by 50 mile wide section of the Earth's crust.

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

 
 
 
 
 
Staff of the National System of Territorial Studies (SNET) points at a screen showing the areas that can affected by a possible tsunami during a news conference in San Salvador March 11, 2011. The Civil Protection Directorate of El Salvador ordered the suspension of classes in the coastal areas and urged people to take precautions and stay away from these areas due to a possible tsunami. The biggest earthquake to hit Japan since records began 140 years ago struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, ships, cars and farm buildings on fire.
 
 

Staff of the National System of Territorial Studies (SNET) points at a screen showing the areas that can affected by a possible tsunami during a news conference in San Salvador March 11, 2011. The Civil Protection Directorate of El Salvador ordered the suspension of classes in the coastal areas and urged people to take precautions and stay away from these areas due to a possible tsunami. The biggest earthquake to hit Japan since records began 140 years ago struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, ships, cars and farm buildings on fire.

Photograph by: Luis Galdamez, REUTERS

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.

View video: Ruptured Japan.

View video: Japan declares state of atomic power emergency. Japan declares a state of atomic power emergency and races to evacuate residents near reactors while Tokyo braces for aftershocks.

View video: Buildings crumble in Japan quake. As people flee the trembling buildings amateur video shows debris crashing onto roads.

View video: The path of the tsunami. NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration animation of where the tsunami went/is going.

View video: Japan devastated after massive quake. Japan's most powerful earthquake on record floods large swathes of land, and sparks scores of fires across the country.

View video: Huge refinery fire after quake hits. An oil refinery near Japan's capital Tokyo goes up in flames after the country was hit by the biggest quake since records began.

View video:Tsunami waves close in on Japan. Triggered by a magnitude 8.9 quake early Friday morning tsunami waves are sweeping away homes and cars in northeastern Japan.

View video:U.S. oceanographer talks about tsunamis. Nathan Becker, an oceanographer at the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said the height of the waves could increase as they hit the coastline.

View video:Devastating quake hits Japan.A huge 8.9 magnitude quake hits Japan causing a ten meter high tsunami along parts of the country's coastline.

 
 
 
 


Read more:http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Japan+earthquake+factbox+Entire+Japan+coast+shifted+metres+earth+axis+moves+inches/4425617/story.html#ixzz1GKpaCrJ8

Last Generation Report: The Quake News (google)

"The Quake"

03/11/2011

 

Quake Is 5th Biggest, But Japan Best Prepared  

NPR - Malcolm J. Foster - ‎13 minutes ago‎
by AP Take the world's most earthquake-prepared country, jolt it with one of the biggest quakes in history and add a devastating tsunami minutes later.

Powerful Tsumani Inevitably Followed Japan Earthquake  

ABC News - Ellen Tumposky - ‎2 hours ago‎
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the Japanese island of Honshu is the strongest quake worldwide since the 2004 Indian Ocean quake, and it created classic conditions for a powerful and destructive tsumani,...
 

What Would Happen if an 8.9 Quake Hit the US?  

Mother Jones - Kiera Butler - ‎38 minutes ago‎
Here are some answers to a few other earthquake questions: What would an 8.9 quake be like in the US? Moschetti says that an 8.9 quake is only possible in subduction zones, areas where one plate is underneath another plate.

Japan earthquake: how big was it?  

CBS News - Miles Doran - ‎44 minutes ago‎
It can be difficult to grasp the power of today's earthquake. The dramatic video and photos coming out of Japan paint a devastating picture.

Japan earthquake: nuclear disaster fears as reactor overheats 

Telegraph.co.uk - Gordon RaynerPeter Foster - ‎20 minutes ago‎
Japan was battling to avoid a nuclear disaster after a reactor was critically damaged by the country's biggest earthquake. Prime minister Naoto Kan declared a nuclear emergency as his trade minister admitted that a radiation leak might occur at the ...

WSJ: Yen's Post-Earthquake Rally Draws Skeptics 

Wall Street Journal - Neil Shah - ‎1 hour ago‎
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The yen surged on Friday as investors made bets that the country's biggest earthquake in centuries will force companies there to bring home cash from abroad, yet further gains could prove ...

Discovery Channel to air earthquake, tsunami special -- EXCLUSIVE

Entertainment Weekly - James Hibberd - ‎1 hour ago‎
Anatomy of a Disaster promises unprecedented footage showing the 8.9 magnitudeearthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated the west coast of Japan and continues to send its ripple effects as far away as California and Oregon.

What Causes a Tsunami? 

Voice of America - ‎2 hours ago‎
A tsunami is a series of large waves generated by an abrupt movement on the ocean floor that can result from an earthquake, an underwater landslide, a volcanic eruption or - very rarely - a large meteorite strike.

Senator Inouye's Wife in Tokyo When Earthquake Hit 

Fox News (blog) - Trish Turner - ‎4 hours ago‎
As often happens with catastrophes like the violent earthquake that shook Japan, the event touches the lives of many in its wake in an indiscriminate way, young, old, rich, poor.

Japan Quake Affects $1.5 Bln Of 'Catastrophe Bonds' 

Wall Street Journal - Katy Burne - ‎1 hour ago‎
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The earthquake that struck Japan on Friday may affect more than $1.5 billion of specialized securities called natural catastrophe bonds, leaving investors scurrying to determine their potential...

Ryo Ishikawa wakes to quake news, near Doral lead 

ESPN - Bob Harig - ‎5 hours ago‎
Ryo Ishikawa awoke to the horrifying news Friday that his homeland was in chaos due to a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

China Offers Japan Support for Quake Relief 

Wall Street Journal (blog) - Brian Spegele - ‎6 hours ago‎
China's government, often at odds with Tokyo, offered support to Japan after Friday's powerfulearthquake, with Premier Wen Jiabao expressing “deep sympathy and solicitude to the Japanese government and the people” and telling his ...

Another quake jolts Tokyo, adding to chaos from 8.9 quake, tsunami 

Detroit Free Press (blog) - Jay AlabasterMari Yamaguchi - ‎10 minutes ago‎
The tsunami spawned by the largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history slammed the eastern coast Friday, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people.

Effects of earthquake near Japan felt in Grand Island 

Grand Island Independent - Denton Cushing - ‎20 minutes ago‎
After a massive earthquake near Japan and numerous tsunamis around the Pacific, effects are being felt here in Grand Island.

Japanese players try to get news after earthquake 

The Associated Press - ‎1 hour ago‎
Hundreds of people were killed or missing after Japan was struck by its biggest recordedearthquake and a massive tsunami. "It's a tough situation," Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima said through a translator.

Message from the chancellor about Japan's earthquake and tsunami 

UC Berkeley - ‎30 minutes ago‎
By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley | March 11, 2011 We are shocked and saddened today following news that hundreds have been killed in Japan following a magnitude 8.9 offshore quake, which unleashed a ferocious tsunami on the country's eastern coast.

Google Releases Person Finder for Victims of Japan Tsunami andEarthquake 

Fox News - ‎5 hours ago‎
Google has unveiled a person finder app to aid those affected by the massive, magnitude 8.9 offshore earthquake that struck Japan and the massive tidal wave that followed it.

Japan quake may hit flash memory chip supply hard 

CNET - Brooke Crothers - ‎36 minutes ago‎
The supply of flash memory chips, a principal component in hot-selling tablets and smartphones, will be affected--possibly significantly--by the earthquake in Japan, according to a report. An 8.9-magnitude earthquake and series of ...

Undersea Convulsion Fueled Tsunami 

Wall Street Journal - Gautam Naik - ‎42 minutes ago‎

Japanese players struggle to find loved ones after quake, tsunami 

USA Today - Gabe Lacques - ‎1 hour ago‎
Milwaukee Brewers reliever Takashi Saito and New York Yankees minor leaguer Kei Igawa left their respective spring training camps today in the wake of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Saito and Igawa both hail from a ...